Tag Archives: Bronx

#11 Summer of Unrest

Covid-19 Oral History, , , ,
Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn.
Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn.

This episode captures the memories of New York City Parks Department members as they recall the time period of social unrest during the COVID-19 crisis. Calls for social justice followed the deaths of Breonna Taylor in March 2020 in Louisville and George Floyd in May 2020 in Minneapolis. During the first wave of the pandemic, nationwide protests took place, with many turning to NYC Parks properties to make their voices heard. During this time the agency response included listening sessions with staff to hear their stories, and a program to rename Parks’ properties to honor and remember Black history.

Today our guests recall the era of social unrest in New York, and the groundswell of the social justice movement that often starts and ends on parkland. Our guests today are:

  • Former NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver;
  • Assistant Commissioner for Community Outreach and Partnership Development Karina Smith;
  • Urban Park Ranger Woo Sung Park;
  • Van Cortlandt Park Administrator Stephanie Ehrlich.

We record our shows in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at McCarren Park Play Center in the Media Education Lab. Our team is using the Media Lab and Parks volunteers to share our history with listeners, presenting some of the more than 100 oral history interviews conducted with Parkies.

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#9 One Leaf, One Team

Covid-19 Oral History, , , , ,
Madison Square Park, April 14, 2020.
Madison Square Park, April 14, 2020.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the Parks Department leaned on its team on the frontlines extra hard to keep parks clean and green for the public to enjoy. This is a good opportunity to learn more about the agency’s workforce, in particular to shine a light on the Parks Opportunity Program. This gives entry-level workers jobs, as well opportunities for education, personal growth, and advancement in the workforce.

Today our guests are Parkies who have personal experience with our important workforce development program:

  • Wanda Heath, Parks Opportunity Program Worker
  • Michelle Broady,  City Seasonal Aide
  • Jessenea Rivero,  City Seasonal Aide
  • Elvin Torro Lobo, former City Park Worker
  • Bernard Maguire, City Park Worker
  • Elizabeth Ehrlich, former Chief of Workforce Development

We record our shows in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at McCarren Park Play Center in the Media Education Lab. Our team is using the Media Lab and Parks volunteers to share our history with listeners, presenting some of the more than 100 oral history interviews conducted with Parkies.

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#8 Feeding New Yorkers

Covid-19 Oral History, , ,
Hunts Point Recreation Center.
Hunts Point Recreation Center.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the biggest challenges facing New York City was food insecurity. As the scale of the pandemic grew, the City of New York turned to NYC Parks. This was the Get Food New York City program. A robust food distribution program was run out of NYC Parks Recreation Centers for several months. It’s an incredible story of project planning, dedication, execution, and success. Ultimately Parks oversaw eight food distribution sites citywide. The totals over those months: 42 million meals distributed via taxi cabs and hired cars.

In this episode, our guests are Parkies connected to the pandemic food distribution program.

  •  Ashanta Smith, Recreation Center Manager
  • Jorge Ortiz III, Community Coordinator, Emergency Management

 

We record our shows in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at McCarren Park Play Center in the Media Education Lab. Our team is using the Media Lab and Parks volunteers to share our history with listeners, presenting some of the more than 100 oral history interviews conducted with Parkies.

 

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#5 Kiss the Bride & Hug a Tree

Covid-19 Oral History, , ,
Alley Pond Park
Alley Pond Park

This episode is about parks as spaces that restore all of us, how parks were used during the pandemic in new and sometimes unusual ways, and how important open space became to us in New York. Today we are going to talk about New Yorker’s relationships to parks and open space and how they reflect our social environment and our connections to each other.

Our interviews on episode #5:

  • First Deputy Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa;
  • Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Focht;
  • Parks Enforcement Patrol Inspector Asha Harris;
  • Chief-of-Staff Dan Dougherty;
  • Bronx Chief of Operations Lawrence Scoones;
  • Park Administrator William Morrison;
  • Public Engagement Coordinator Jennifer Graeff.

We record our shows in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at McCarren Play Center in the Media Education Lab. Our team is using the Media Lab and Parks volunteers to share our history with listeners, presenting some of the more than 100 oral history interviews with Parkies.

 

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#3 Why Parks and Public Service?

Covid-19 Oral History, , ,

Mounted PEP

On this episode we interview three Parkies with connections to The Bronx and what drew them to public service. Why did they want to work for the NYC Parks Department? And in the pandemic, did the fact that they were public servants play a role in how they worked in the COVID-19 era?

Our interviews on episode #3:

  • Stephanie Ehrlich, Van Cortlandt Park Administrator
  • Shawn James, Deputy Chief of Recreation for The Bronx
  • Jamaal Jones, Recreation Specialist

We record our shows in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at McCarren Park Play Center in the Media Education Lab. Our team is using the Media Lab and Parks volunteers to share our history with listeners, presenting some of the more than 100 oral history interviews conducted with Parkies.

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#1: The Beginning

Covid-19 Oral History, , ,

NYC ParksIn the debut show, we travel to four of the five Boroughs to meet Parkies and hear their stories about the opening months of the pandemic. From the South Bronx to Rockaway Beach, the NYC Parks team recalls what the early days of the COVID-19 era was like while they struggled at work. Interviews: Anthony Bromell, Minerva Del Real, Mona Fakahani, Woo Sung Park, Desiree Paulin, and Eric Peterson.

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