TheGram: #LasCausalesVan

Posted on April 2, 2021

You may or may not know this but Abortion is totally illegal in the Dominican Republic. Yup, in all circumstances. Yes, even when the life of the pregnant woman or girl is in danger. Yes, in the case of rape or incest too. Yes, even when it is not a viable pregnancy. The DR is one of the few countries in the world that has a complete ban on abortion, without an exception for saving maternal life. That’s insane and anti-women. Period. But thankfully, there is a burgeoning, women-led movement on the island to change that sad state of affairs. The call is to add “Las 3 Causales” to the penal code of the Dominican Republic, which will allow for abortions under the 3 aforementioned circumstances. This needs to happen familia.

S/O to Gerry Isabelle of @dominicanabroad for putting together this useful guide to understanding the movement.

Support their GoFundMe Page: LasCausalesVan

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04/06/21: Forgiving Stephen Redmond with A.J. Sidransky & Led Black

Posted on April 2, 2021

Friend to the UC and local novelist A. J. Sidransky has another outstanding novel to dig into. To celebrate the release of the final installment of The Forgiving Series, Forgiving Stephen Redmond, Alan will read from the book, followed by a Q&A with our very own Led Black. You don’t want to miss this wide-ranging conversation that is brought to you by Word Up Books in collaboration with The Uptown Collective. Shout out to The YM & YWHA of Washington Heights as well. Click below to register.

RSVP: 04/06/21: Forgiving Stephen Redmond with A.J. Sidransky & Led Black

Purchase a copy here: https://www.wordupbooks.com/book/9781953434524

In the brutal heat of an August “Dog-Day” afternoon, Detectives Tolya Kurchenko and Pete Gonzalvez climb the rickety stairs of a wood frame house to the third floor to find a sight so astounding it stops them cold. Inside a partially demolished wall sits something between a skeleton and a mummy in a double-breasted suit, Fedora still perched on his head. Who is this man? How long has he been here? How did he get here? The search for his identity opens a long-closed cold case which leads Kurchenko and Gonzalvez back to another murder they solved a few years earlier. The connections are just a little too close.

From the immigrant rooming houses of upper Manhattan in the 1950s and 60s to the terrifying realities of Trujillo’s iron-fisted Dominican Republic, from the ashes of the Holocaust to the children of its victims, Forgiving Stephen Rothman will grip you from page one. Sometimes, revenge is more important for the soul than forgiveness.

Purchase a copy here: https://www.wordupbooks.com/book/9781953434524

RSVP: 04/06/21: Forgiving Stephen Redmond with A.J. Sidransky & Led Black

We invite you to subscribe to the weekly Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter & Instagram or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

04/11/21: #UPTOWNPHOTOWALK

Posted on April 1, 2021

Once again it’s on. The homies Emanuel Abreu and Carlos Deschamps are leading the first #UptownPhotoWalk since the pandemic hit next weekend. The photo walk will kick-off from Word Up Books (2113 Amsterdam Ave @ 165th) at 2 pm on April 11, 2021. Photographers of all levels of expertise are welcome. Follow the walk via #UptownPhotoWalk.

RSVP: 04/11/21: #UPTOWNPHOTOWALK

We invite you to subscribe to the weekly Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter & Instagram or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

UC Must-Reads: A story of slavery — and space

Posted on March 30, 2021
Photo: @ndzine | IG

Our UC Must-Read selection of the week is equal parts cosmos and caste. It is a story of slavery and space. Shout out to The Washington Post for a simply stellar interactive piece that delves into the sordid history of a space shuttle launch center built in a remote corner of Brazil. The establishment of that base in 1987 displaced the descendants of formally enslaved Africans that had escaped the plantations and created autonomous communities in the Brazilian wilderness. Those displaced lost their homes and were sent to the overcrowded slums to become a part of the desperate, urban poor. Well, guess what? The Trump Administration made a deal to in 2019 to expand the launch center and displace a whole new generation of the descendants of those valiant Africans who created a haven for themselves in the Brazilian hinterlands.

Read more: UC Must-Reads: A story of slavery — and space

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New opt-in period announced for classroom learning | Manhattan Times

Posted on March 28, 2021

By Gregg McQueen

There’s still time.

Public school students who want to choose in-person learning now have another opportunity to opt in.

The city is opening a new opt-in period, which will run from Wednesday, March 24 through Wednesday, April 7. Students currently engaged in fully remote learning can indicate an interest in returning to classroom instruction.

The announcement was made after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidelines that reduced the recommended social distancing between students from six feet to three feet.

“This obviously opens up a world of possibilities for bringing kids back,” de Blasio said at a media briefing. Though he cautioned there were “a lot of details to be worked out,” the mayor said his administration would “work with educators, work with principals and teachers work with the unions, work with health care experts to determine the best way to implement all this.”

Additional students from elementary school, 3-K and Pre-K and special education D75 schools would be brought into the classroom first, de Blasio said.

Read more: New opt-in period announced for classroom learning | Manhattan Times

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Advocates voice support for Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act | Bronx Free Press

Posted on March 27, 2021

By Gregg McQueen

Call a convention.

Advocates gathered for a virtual rally on March 22 to voice support for recently proposed federal legislation that could empower residents of Puerto Rico with a democratic process to determine their own political future.

The proposed legislation would create a convention, featuring delegates elected to discuss options with federal officials, for the purpose of enacting an official and bilateral conversation on the status of Puerto Rico.

On March 18, New York Reps. Nydia Velåzquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with New Jersey Senator Robert Meléndez, introduced the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2021.

At the virtual rally, Velázquez said it was up to federal lawmakers to give Puerto Ricans the right to shape the island’s future relationship with the United States.

“We believe profoundly that Congress must take the responsibility,” stated Velázquez. “This is why the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act recognizes the inherent right of the people of Puerto Rico to determine their own future.”

According to the bill, status options will be presented by the delegates to the people of Puerto Rico and voted upon in an open election. Congress would then approve a joint resolution to approve that status.

Read more: Advocates voice support for Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act | Bronx Free Press

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