UC Recap May 14 – May 19
May 14 – May 19
There are more dark days ahead for the American Experiment. The future looks bleaker by the hour. The Tyrant is now referring to immigrants as animals and separating children from their parents at the border is the new normal. The Tyrant and his henchmen are feverishly extinguishing the flame of Lady Liberty’s torch. Welcome to Trump’s America. It is not pretty. We will either revitalize our Democracy or we will succumb to tyranny. It is that simple and that stark. Trump represents an existential threat to our democracy and our planet. As America goes, so will the world. Hate begets hate. Trump has awakened something truly sinister in far too many Americans and that cancer of xenophobia and bigotry is spreading like wildfire across the globe. What makes matters worse is there is a very real chance that he will be elected for a second term. Let that sink in for a little while and now ask yourself what are you going to do to prevent that.
Chris Hedges does not pull his punches. The work of the esteemed Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is must-read material if you want to better understand the time we are living through right now. His work will shatter any notion of business as usual. With that said, the indispensible Word Up Books (2113 Amsterdam Avenue) will be hosting him in conversation with author Mitch Abidor on Thursday, May 24 at 6:30 pm.
On a lighter note, Harlem Eat Up 2018 was incredible. All the mud from the rain in Morningside Park could not stop revelers from having an outright good old time at the Grand Tasting extravaganza. For a handful of hours on Saturday and Sunday the folks in attendance were in foodie heaven. This has become my favorite event of the year.
The Red Bull Music Festival touched down at La Marina on Saturday, May 19 for Reggaeton: Hasta Abajo, a rousing celebration of the genre. The festival reunited The Noise, early pioneers of the sound. Founded in San Juan in the early 1990s, the iconic collective of DJs, rappers and producers gave an early platform to current legends of reggaeton. Reggaeton legend Ivy Queen tore down the stage and had the audience eating out of her hands. Hit up the site for pictures of the festivities.
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.
