#UptownForChoice: The Recap

Posted on May 6, 2022

BY: @led_black
Photography: @chriskellynyc

Oh hell naw. The Supreme Court and the GOP have decided to undo decades of progress in one fell swoop. A woman’s right to choose is sacred. It is not negotiable. We must organize, fight and agitate with everything we got. The future hangs in the balance.

Last night, Uptown came together in Bennett Park to process the devastating news as well as to prepare for the battle ahead. We are not going back. Keep in mind that this is not really about abortion after all but about the exercise of raw, naked power. The GOP has weaponized abortion to institute an autocracy. Do not doubt for a moment that if the GOP controls all the levers of government they will make abortion illegal. What we do now will determine whether or not that dreaded eventuality will occur.

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City’s new doula initiative seeks to improve maternal health outcomes | Bronx Free Press

Posted on May 6, 2022

By Gregg McQueen

When New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a new initiative to provide free doula services to pregnant women, many providers viewed it as a landmark opportunity to improve birth outcomes in the city’s most vulnerable communities.

The Citywide Doula Initiative will provide free access to doulas for 500 birthing families by the end of June, focusing on 33 neighborhoods determined to have the greatest need.

“The connection to community doulas will be vital. This program will do a lot of good,” said doula Myla Flores, co-founder of Uptown Village Cooperative, which offers birth, postpartum, and lactation support to women in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx.

Doulas serve as birth coaches, providing physical and emotional support during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as postpartum support.

“I think that it will definitely make a difference in Harlem, bringing doula access to the community,” said Miranda Padilla, co-founder of The Mothership, a Harlem-based provider of doula and birthing support services. “A lot of clients we’re getting haven’t used a doula before or didn’t think they could afford a doula.”

In New York City, Black women are eight times more likely than white women to die from a pregnancy-related cause and nearly three times more likely to experience severe birth-related health consequences than white women, according to data from the NYC Health Department.

Read more: City’s new doula initiative seeks to improve maternal health outcomes | Bronx Free Press

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UC Must-Reads: American Nationalist

Posted on May 5, 2022

One of the main reasons that this country is reverting to the bad old days is because of Fox News. To get even more specific, there is Tucker Carlson. As a matter of fact, in my house, we replace the first letter of his name with an f. Anyway, The NY Times produced an excellent 3 part series on the rabid right winger who holds so much sway with a significant portion of the population.

Read more: UC Must-Reads: American Nationalist

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Spread Love: 5th Annual Inwood Film Festival

Posted on May 5, 2022

Once again it’s on. After a two-year pandemic-related delay, the Inwood Film Festival makes its return, picking up where they left off in 2020, with in person programming over four days from Thursday, June 2nd – Sunday, June 5th at the Campbell Sports Center located in Inwood at 218th Street and Broadway where it has been held since 2017. 

The IFF is one of the neighborhood’s fastest growing cultural events, each year celebrating and supporting independent filmmakers in and around the Inwood neighborhood and reflecting the diversity of the Uptown community. This year, the festival gives attendees the unique opportunity to see 36 diverse films in the form of Short Shorts, Long Shorts, Feature Films and Student Films. Most of these films were selected in 2020 and the Inwood Film Festival has honored their spot in this year’s programming. 

Get Tickets: 5th Annual Inwood Film Festival

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Know Your Rights As A Protester | Manhattan Times

Posted on May 5, 2022

The Legal Aid Society Has Released A Know Your Rights Guide On Police Encounters For New Yorkers.

This Guide Advises New Yorkers On Their Rights As Protesters; Offers General Information To Those Who Are Arrested; Provides Information On How To Ensure Digital Security And How To Prevent New York Police Department (NYPD) Surreptitious DNA Collection; Describes The Protections Afforded By The Right To Know Act; Details Rights For Photo And Video Recording; And Explains How To Proceed If Your Rights Have Been Violated.

Read more: Know Your Rights As A Protester

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05/15/22: Do The Right Thing @ The United Palace 

Posted on May 2, 2022

Waaaake up! Wake up! Wake up! The United Palace will screen the seminal 1989 movie “Do the Right Thing” on Sunday, May 15 followed by a talk back with Uptown superhero Lin-Manuel Miranda and film director, producer, actor, professor, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Spike Lee. 

Doors open at noon, the 2-hour movie begins at 1pm, followed by the conversation between Mr. Miranda and Mr. Lee at 3pm. Tickets will be made available for reservation at www.unitedpalace.org at 9am on Monday, May 9. 

Thanks to the Miranda Family Fund, with support from American Express, all Movies at the United Palace screenings are FREE.

Get Tickets: 05/15/22: Do The Right Thing @ The United Palace 

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And The Winner Is…

Posted on April 29, 2022

We have a winner familia… After a whole heap of simply stellar submissions, the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) has chosen the winner of the 2022 Uptown Arts Stroll poster contest. Artist Christian Viteri came away with the title with this cool collage that captures the energy, vibrancy and picturesque beauty of Uptown. This year’s Uptown Arts Stroll is going to be something truly special as we are celebrating the 20th Uptown Arts Stroll. Can you believe it? We cannot wait. Uptown is ready and waiting.

Long Live NoMAA & The Arts Uptown…

Check out: https://www.nomaanyc.org/artstroll/

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