DEPUTY BOROUGH PRESIDENT GRAHAM ISSUES STATEMENT ON HEALTH DISPARITIES AMONG WOMEN OF COLOR

On March 8, Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham issued a statement in response to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s report on health disparities among women of color. “ Brooklyn is proud of its diversity, but for far too long, our diverse communities have represented a disproportionate share of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, AIDS cases, infant mortality and other chronic health conditions. It is for this reason that Borough President Markowitz and I have made addressing health issues and health disparities a major priority, including working with SUNY Downstate Medical Center and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to create the Brooklyn Center on Health Disparities . We are committed to working with government and the community to tear down barriers and ensure that Brooklynites of every race, ethnicity and income level receive the world class quality health care that they so richly deserve.”

INITIATIVE FOR A COMPETITIVE BROOKLYN TO HELP CREATE JOBS AND RAISE STANDARD OF LIVING

 

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT UNVEILS NEW BRANDING INITIATIVE: “BED-STUY AND PROUD OF IT”

On March 10, Marty joined Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (BSRC) President Colvin Grannum, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Chairman Ken Adams, and Weeksville Society Executive Director Pamela Green to announce a new motto and branding initiative for the historic neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant: “Bed-Stuy and Proud of It.” To promote the new message, the groups unveiled the “Brooklyn Icons” campaign, a series of outdoor murals by Brooklyn artists at Restoration Plaza honoring local legends and national celebrities from the neighborhood. The first Icons to be unveiled were environmental activist Hattie Carthan (by digital artist True); poet/novelist June Jordan (by painter Mascha Oehlmann); and rapper/actor Mos Def (by graphic designer Howard Allen). “This Bed-Stuy initiative ties in perfectly with our goal of marketing Brooklyn to Brooklyn and Brooklyn to the world,” said Marty. “The residents and businesses of Bedford-Stuyvesant have every right to walk tall and feel proud of the accomplishments and successes that are turning this neighborhood around.” Support for the project was provided by Deutsche Bank’s Arts and Enterprises Grant and the Rockefeller Fund. The Tate Group, a Brooklyn strategic marketing firm, developed the Bed-Stuy marketing theme and the Brooklyn Icons project.

BROOKLYN HONORS HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN

On March 10, Marty, elected officials, community leaders, and hundreds of neighborhood students gathered to celebrate the life of Harriet Ross Tubman by co-naming the entire length of Fulton Street in her honor. Council Member Al Vann’s leadership in recent years was critical to achieving the co-naming to commemorate the iconic escaped slave who was a hero of the Underground Railroad. “Harriet Tubman’s courage and leadership provided the foundation for the vibrant, empowered, and united community that African-Americans have built here in Brooklyn ,” said Marty. “She knew better than almost anyone that the road to freedom was long and rocky. And she would have been proud to join us on this road named for her today in Brooklyn — as we continue together on the journey toward true equality.”

MARKOWITZ —“ WILLIAMSBURG GREENPOINT REZONING PLAN STILL INADEQUATE”

On March 14, Marty criticized the City’s Williamsburg Greenpoint Rezoning Plan for its lack of guaranteed affordable housing and open space. “I am gratified that my appointee to the City Planning Commission, Dolly Williams, rejected the Williamsburg Greenpoint Rezoning Plan in its present form,” said Marty. “Although the Commission took to heart my recommendations to save existing businesses and jobs, and to allow opportunities for the neighborhood’s creative economy to grow, it has only addressed the tip of the iceberg. I am hopeful that all of the recommend-
ations I made in January to achieve the hopes and dreams of Williamsburg-Greenpoint residents will be incorporated into the final plan when the City Council makes it vote. More must be done to protect residents from displacement. We still have not achieved at least 30 percent affordable housing and we do not have sufficient mechanisms in place to guarantee that the housing will be affordable. The City Council and Administration should maximize affordability of city-owned sites and impose a higher percentage of affordability on inland and waterfront sites. The plan also falls short on providing open space. This opportunity to reclaim our waterfront and to provide affordable housing comes but once in a lifetime — if we are lucky. We must make it work for Brooklyn today and for generations to come — because once the developers are done, we will all have to live with it.”

MARTY PRAISES LINCOLN H.S. RAILSPLITTERS FOR “PLAYING THEIR HEARTS OUT”

On March 14, Marty congratulated the Lincoln High Railsplitters of Coney Island for reaching the PSAL Championships for the fourth consecutive year, even though they came up short this year against the Kennedy Knights from the Bronx . Kennedy defeated Lincoln , 62-57, in a close game that prevented Lincoln from winning its fourth straight PSAL title. “I am so proud of Coach Dwayne ‘Tiny’ Morton and the Railsplitters for playing their hearts out at Madison Square Garden ,” said Marty. “It was an epic meeting of Brooklyn and the Bronx , and while the Knights may have taken the championship this time, Brooklyn ’s players and fans will always be number one, proving that this is the place where legends are made and dreams come true. You all looked great on the court and, I might add, I hope to see some of the players again as future Brooklyn Nets.”

 

ST. PATRICK’S DAY TURNS BOROUGH HALL GREEN

 

PRATT STUDENTS IMAGINE CREATIVE USES FOR BROOKLYN HOUSE OF DETENTION SITE

FIRST WOMAN’S PORTRAIT UNVEILED AT BOROUGH HALL TO CELEBRATE WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

On March 18, Marty, Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham and Council Member Tracy Boyland, Chair of the Council’s Women’s Issues Committee, celebrated National Women’s History Month by unveiling the first portrait of a woman to be permanently installed on the walls of Borough Hall since the building opened in 1848. “Last month, we unveiled the first portrait of an African-American, Justice Oliver D. Williams, to be permanently displayed in Borough Hall’s historic courtroom,” said Marty. “It was the first new portrait in this building since the end of the 19th century — and it was long overdue. Equally overdue is the presence of the first woman’s portrait in this court room — a situation I’m proud to rectify today.” Brooklyn artist Hipólito López Torres created the portrait of Brooklyn ’s first female State Supreme Court Justice, Honorable Beatrice M. Judge (1895-1998), which will now grace the walls of the building’s historic Courtroom. The Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association commissioned the painting. Justice Judge was a trailblazer in the legal profession, becoming the first woman elected to Brooklyn ’s civil court in 1965, and the first woman to sit on the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn in 1967. She lived to be 102 years old. “Judge Judge represented the very best of Brooklyn ,” said Marty.

 

BROOKLYN MOURNS

Rabbi Solomon J Scharfman. All of Brooklyn mourns the passing in December of one of America ’s most respected Jewish spiritual leaders. As rabbi for 45 years of Young Israel of Flatbush, one of the most prominent Orthodox congregations in world Jewry, and more recently as a resident of Israel, Rabbi Scharfman will be dearly missed by those in his congregation, and by all Brooklynites and Americans.