John,

Back to our regularly scheduled programming!

● Last year we hired a new staff member, Ali, who has been focused on outreach in Kensington! Read up about more of his work below.

● We had a busy Stated Meeting this week passing legislation! Check out our Twitter thread for a recap on what passed and my op-ed in AM New York on passing Resolution 550 to establish May as Lupus Awareness Month.

● DOT is conducting community outreach to understand how the Beverley Road Open Street is used and how the community wants to see this new public space evolve in the future! Take this short survey to share your feedback and ideas for the Beverley Road Open Street – the survey will remain open until 6/30.

Kensington Update

Last year we brought on a dedicated organizer to help with our work in Kensington. Growing up in this community, I know firsthand the difficulties of getting high-quality services to immigrant neighbors and have been dedicated to bringing services into Kensington since before taking office. But this isn’t work I can do alone, so I have been thrilled to work with Ali to organize in the neighborhood.

Together, we have organized several meet and greets with delivery workers who live in our community. New York City is home to the nation’s largest population of delivery workers, and Kensington has an extremely high concentration of Bangladeshi delivery cyclists. Thanks to Ali’s work, we meet regularly and hear about the most pressing issues they face and discuss how Council legislation can improve their pay and working conditions. Our office has also worked with Muslims Giving Back to organize monthly food distributions in Kensington to provide fresh produce and halal food to our neighbors in need! To date, we’ve served over 800 of our neighbors, and we’re looking into easy ways we can expand this vital operation.

Early on in 2021, we noticed most of our newsletter audience only served the northern half of the district, so Ali and our Communications Director, Michael, have worked to develop accessible forms of communication for other parts of our district. Our messaging services have provided Kensington’s Bangladeshi residents with easy and real-time updates about events in the community as well as critical services. We’ve also held two town halls with leaders in the community to see how we can partner on upcoming events and bring better services and cultural programming to the neighborhood. These town halls have been insightful and an ongoing project to bring a historically disjointed community together for good.

The biggest chunk of our work in Kensington has been helping with immigration cases. Ali works every Friday, 10 AM - 4 PM in a community space in the neighborhood (118 Beverley Road, basement), assisting lawyers from CUNY Citizenship Now! to help immigrant residents with their questions and applications. Despite being only 18 years old, Ali has done incredible work over the past few months. From working as an interpreter for constituents navigating their immigration cases and connecting working-class residents to food stamps to enrolling older adults in English Literacy programs and finding permanent housing for survivors of domestic violence, Ali has gone above and beyond. More on his work soon!

Community Bulletin

● The Department of Sanitation will collect trash and compost on Memorial Day, 5/29 as it would on a normal Monday, and recycling will follow on Tuesday!

● There will be no parking on Hicks and Kane Streets on Tuesday, 5/30 through Friday, 6/4, 9 AM to 4 PM to help facilitate the installation of catch basins and chute connections.

● ChaShaMa is holding an opening for their new show, “Fish Outta Water,” on 6/1 in District 39! Check out their website for more information about this local exhibit.

● Our team is proud to be bringing a mammogram bus to Kensington on Friday, 6/2! The bus will be at the intersection of Beverley Road and Church Avenue. You can make an appointment by calling 718-499-1090, and you must do so ahead of time!

○ Please note the requirements: Women and Trans women ages 40 - 79, currently living in New York City, no mammograms in the past 12 months.

● June is Pride Month, and our office is proud to be working with the Center for Anti-Violence Education to host an upstander training on 6/5! Together, we'll learn tools for intervening and de-escalating conflict in order to disrupt homophobic and transphobic violence. RSVP using this link.

● Have thoughts on District 15’s Diversity Plan for schools? The Department of Education is running a survey through 6/15 to collect community feedback on this important educational diversity program. Be sure to check it out!

● Check out Artichoke Dance Company’s Immersive Performance Tours of Gowanus on 6/17, 6/18, 6/24, and 6/25 at 2 PM, an experience that combines an environmental justice walking tour of the rapidly changing Gowanus neighborhood with interactive experiences and site performances. More information here.

● Are you above 60? Get fit while having fun at the Park Slope Center for Successful Aging’s Latin Rhythms Dance Class. The Latin Rhythms Dance class includes seated warmups, fundamental steps, and an introduction to different rhythmic styles like tango, salsa, bachata, and cumbia. The class is offered every Wednesday from 11 AM - 12 PM through 6/28.

● We need your help! Our office is crowdsourcing information on free youth activities in New York City and locally in District 39 for asylum-seeking youth. We are building this list to have more program options to share with asylum seekers. If you know of any programs, please share them with this form.

● Interested in outdoor movies this summer? Rooftop Films is bringing film festivals and crowd favorites to outdoor venues in, and around District 39 all summer long! Check out their calendar to grab your tickets for an upcoming show.

● Run to make a difference! Join the Kids Creative Team in the NYCRUNS Lousy T-Shirt 5K race that will help directly contribute to after-school and summer programs. Email [email protected] to learn more and sign up!

● Five native plants are running as candidates to be the official Wildflower of NYC. Check out the campaign and cast your ballot!

Happy Memorial Day,

Shahana