Rodriguez Wishes New York a Happy Thanksgiving
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Inwood) released a statement last Thursday wishing his constituents a happy Thanksgiving.
In his statement, Rodriguez reminded his constituents to be thankful that they have a family to go home to this Thanksgiving. This, he said, is a privilege that thousands of New Yorkers don’t have.
“As we hug our family and friends, let us remember those who will be separated by distance and borders from the ones they love most,” said Rodriguez. “Today, I will hold my daughters a little closer and give thanks for the honor of serving the people of New York City.”
Rivera to Co-Host HDFC Resource Fair
Council Member Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) will be hosting a Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) resource fair this Wednesday, in collaboration with NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (NYC HPD).
HDFCs are partnerships between private and public interests that help the tenants of public co-ops purchase their buildings and become independent cooperative corporations. At the fair, representatives from HPD will provide detailed information about the City’s various HDFC boards. At 6:30, a “Habits of Healthy HDFCs” workshop will be held.
The event will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Loisaida Inc. Center, 710 East 9th St.
Stringer to Host Seniors Town Hall
New York Comptroller Scott Stringer (D) will be hosting a town hall meeting in Park Slope this Thursday about the issues facing New York seniors.
At the meeting, attendees will get the opportunity to voice their concerns, and learn what the Comptroller’s office has been doing to help one of our most vulnerable demographics.
The event will take place on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 508 East 6th St., Brooklyn, NY.
Ayala to Sponsor Family Resource Fair
Council Member Diana Ayala (D-East Harlem, Mott Haven) will be sponsoring a “Key to the City” family resource fair this Saturday.
The fair will offer free legal consultation to immigrants, as well as free one-on-one financial empowerment coaching. Flu vaccines, SNAP screening and enrollment and information on 2020 Census jobs will also be made available.
The event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7 at PS/MS 57 James Weldon Johnson, 176 East 115th St.
Johnson Speaks Out on World AIDS Day
Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) released a series of tweets on World AIDS Day about his own experiences as an adult living with HIV.
Johnson was first diagnosed with HIV in 2004, at age 22. By his account, the diagnosis “devastated” him and left him wrought with shame. Soon afterwards, he lost his job and health insurance. In spite of that, he managed to persevere – thanks in no small part to the work of LGBT activists.
“I came to realize – after a long period of digging out from that overwhelming feeling of shame and grief that bedeviled me for so long – that the world I inherited was a world that had seen tremendous loss, at a scale that’s hard to any of us to comprehend, and that the drugs that have kept me alive for the past 15 years were won because my gay forebearers put their bodies and lives on the battlefield,” said Johnson. “Even as we’ve made gigantic progress & we may be on the precipice of ending the epidemic in New York – AIDS has now become a disease defined by endemic racism, poverty & huge disparities geographically with new infections concentrated in low income communities of color.
“The message remains – AIDS is not over. Today I’m reflecting on the many, many years that I lived with such shame and remorse – and the journey I’ve taken from being that scared 22 year old young man on ADAP to now being the only openly HIV positive elected official in New York.”
