Meet the Brujas of the Bronx. No, I am not talking about witchcraft or Santeria. The Brujas are an all-girl skate crew that use skating as a way to reclaim their freedom and carve out a place for females in the almost all-male world of skateboarding. Shout out to Noah Remnick of the NY Times for the wonderful article on this crew of badass girl skaters that hail mostly from the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. Do you know artist Ronald Draper? Well, you should. This native son of Harlem is a mixed-media artistic wunderkind that is creating kinetic works of art that pulsate with passion and positivity. More than an artist, Mr. Draper is active in helping local kids discover the redeeming power of art. Hit up the site for an awesome video introduction to the artist courtesy of Rae Ruckus. The Loiza Festival in El Barrio has been going strong for 49 years. Check out the recap of this year’s festivities. Nickolaus Hines of Inverse wrote a cool piece on how Pokémon Go made him see his adopted home through new eyes. Our wellness contributor and my wife, Eileen Z. Fuentes, interviewed fellow cancer survivor Julissa Pérez on her cancer journey and her mission to help other women dealing with the malady. When I was kid growing up, during the crack era that wreaked such havoc in this neighborhood, Gorman Park was known as the Devil’s Cave. The park is situated on Wadsworth Terrace between 189th and 190th Streets and has a descending stone staircase that is a super shortcut down to Broadway. Back in the day, the crack dealers would sell their merchandise on the terrace-like park on Wadsworth Terrace and the addicts would consume them in the staircase that led down to Broadway. As kids, if we had to go down to Broadway, to say, go to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants (Chan’s Kitchen – it is still there) or Fort Tyron Park, we would basically run all the way down to Broadway. It was fun, exciting and always scary as one would encounter addicts getting high, defecating, having sex…etc. Now, thankfully the park has been rehabilitated and is a welcome addition to the great parks that dot the Uptown landscape. 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.August 1st – August 6th
