The Uptown Collective – The Recap 11-5 to 11-10

November 5 – November 10

Hock Films is making a documentary for ESPN on Felipe López that will be premiering in 2019. As part of Felipe’s story, they will be discussing the story of the Dominican community in Washington Heights during the 1980s and 90s. They are hoping that some of our readers will be interested in participating by providing videos/home movies or photos during that time period so they can accurately represent the community, the neighborhood and the people. They are looking to find home movies or photos that people may have filmed while attending Felipe’s high school games playing for Rice, so that they can convey a real sense of how supportive the Dominican community was of him from the onset of his career. Hit up the site to find out more.

As promised, please check out the video of Take On America: 100 Latinos In New York City that was filmed at the venerable Riverside Church and aired on PBS recently. I had the opportunity to speak my mind on several of the topics. The Mayor of San Juan, Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto, was a standout on this show. Please check it out and share with your people.

Make sure you watch the searing and riveting documentary, The Sentence on HBO. This film will move you to tears; it is an agonizing look at the consequences of mandatory minimum sentencing. The Sentence is the first film from Rudy Valdez, who tells the story of his sister Cindy Shank. A mother of three, Shank received a 15-year mandatory sentence for conspiracy charges related to her deceased ex-boyfriend’s crimes. The documentary chronicles Cindy’s three daughters as they get older and try to navigate life without their mother. This heartbreaking film underscores the fact that it is not just the person that is convicted that is serving time.

Okay I cannot stress this enough, you HAVE to check out the latest podcast series from Gimlet, The Horrors of Dolores Roach. The fictional podcast is set in Washington Heights and touches on gentrification, mass incarceration, marijuana and so much more. Did I mention that there is a serial killer or two lurking in the truly thrilling podcast? Hit us up to check it out and thank us later.

Keep checking us out at www.uptowncollective.com.

Led Black

Editor-in-Chief

The Uptown Collective

The UC’s mission is to become “the” definitive, transformative and community-based force impacting the arts, culture, business and New York City’s overall perception of Upper Manhattan. Its objective is to reset, reboot and positively redefine Uptown’s artistic, political, cultural and business spheres via the online space as well the collective’s initiatives and functions.