UC Recap- July 13 – July 18
By Led Black
July 13 – July 18
On Tuesday July 14th, 2015, 71 years later, Oskar Gruning, 94 years old, was convicted for complicity in the mass murder of Jews during WW II. Local novelist A.J. Sidransky penned a poignant and personal piece about his own relatives that were deported to Auschwitz and could have, in theory, encountered Oskar Gruning. In May and June of 1944 approximately 424,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz. Most of them were murdered upon arrival. Mr. Sidransky’s relatives were among those taken to the notorious concentration camp.
On a much lighter note, A.J. also wrote a great review of eatery Bistro 209 (209 Pinehurst), which is trying to fill the vacuum left by its predecessor Rusty Mackerel. Bistro 209 is all about comfort food but with a classy and classic touch. Stop by there and let us know what you think.
The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute in collaboration with Los Hermanos Fraternos de Loiza presents the 38th Annual Loiza Festival in El Barrio July 24th to July 26th. The festival celebrates the culture, history and legacy of Afro-Puerto Ricans. It is a three-day festival comprised of performances of Bomba and Plena, children art workshops, live art installations, and much more. The festival is located on East 105th Street Between Lexington and Park Avenue.
Crossing Broadway, by professor and historian Robert W. Snyder, received a nice shout out from Sam Roberts in the NY Times recently. You don’t really know Washington Heights until you have read this book. Head to Word Up Books right now and purchase the official history book of Washington Heights.
Our newest contributor, Sour Indyka, wrote a powerful piece on her brush with homelessness and illness. Her fierce intelligence and determination are evident in all of her work. This week we posted the latest video from Camille Safiya’s 24K album, Amnesia. The searing visuals are by the prolific Fred Focus.
The good folks at La Flama once again enlist Juan Bago for another hilarious video. This one is aptly titled Latin Task Force. Juan Bago and the Room 28 comedy troupe also dropped a video about online dating, LOOKATME.COM. Our Monday Mood Music selection comes to us from Stars Collide featuring Tellie Floydd and Suzire, Reason To Hate. See you next week, folks…
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.
