Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson - Community Resources & Updates

 

Dear Neighbors,

 

Thank you for joining us for another week in review. 

 

This week, we took more steps to assist our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona. The Category 3 storm caused heavy rain, mudslides and flooding in multiple Caribbean islands and even caused a power outage on the island of Puerto Rico. The Hispanic Federation, the Dominican Consulate and SOMOS, INC. are all working to bring resources and donations to the islands that were affected by this storm last week. We will keep everyone updated on next steps and ways to aid Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic during this time. Please find more information below.

 

Yesterday, we honored the life of Gladys Ricart and so many other women who have lost their lives at the hands of an abusive partner with the 22nd Annual Bride’s March. To everyone who joined and shared their story on the steps of Borough hall yesterday, thank you. Thank you for your courage and relentless effort in this fight to end gender-based violence. 

 

Lastly, Riverdale First-Ever Restaurant Week begins October 1st - 8th. Please join us in supporting our local businesses. The inaugural week-long event will include 29 Riverdale restaurants. We hope to see this event spread across our beloved borough. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 718-590-3500 or email us at webmail@bronxbp.nyc.gov.

 

In partnership,

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN THE COMMUNITY

I joined with my colleagues to bring attention to high rates of infant mortality in our Borough. The Bronx has the highest rate of infant mortality in the City. Infant mortality is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday. The top 5 causes of death in infants in 2020 were: 1. Birth defects 2. Preterm birth and low birth weight 3. Sudden infant death syndrome 4. Injuries (e.g. suffocation) 5. Maternal pregnancy complications For people of color, the risk of infant death is higher. The infant mortality rate is 3.3 times higher for Black people and 2.0 times higher for Hispanic people than in the white community. We must take actionable steps to make sure that our children are safe and healthy at the early stages of their life and beyond.

We honored the life of Gladys Ricart and so many other women who have lost their lives at the hands of an abusive partner with the 22nd Annual Bride’s March. Unfortunately, what happened to Gladys was not an isolated incident.  The Bronx has the highest number of DV homicides of any borough and it also had the highest rate of DV. Black females accounted for 29.6% of intimate partner homicides, while accounting for 13.0% of NYC’s population.   Hispanic females accounted for 26.5% of intimate partner homicides, while accounting for 14.6% of NYC’s population. This administration is committed to amplifying the voices of our survivors to ensure that when we are advocating and creating resources that they are at the forefront of these conversations.

Though Monkeypox infection rates have lowered in our Borough and City, we can not let up.  Last week, we partnered with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife, the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, the Third Avenue BID and Destination Tomorrow to bring resources to our Borough to combat Monkeypox. ICYMI Our city agencies should reflect the great diversity of our city and the FDNY is no exception. We are dedicated to working with the FDNY, DCAS and the City’s Commission on Human Rights to build a more diverse work force in every sector in our city and to dismantle systemic barriers that prevent women and people of color from joining our first responders. Thank you Speaker Adams, Council Member Riley, the NYC Black, Latino, Asian Caucus, the Vulcan Society and everyone else for their support of these bills and commitment to equity.