Spring has arrived and if you’re like us you probably want nothing else than to celebrate the Bushwick community. Tomorrow, on Saturday March 14 from 12-4PM you will have a chance to do just that. ¡Celebra Bushwick! is a community event whose mission is to celebrate and connect through music, dance, art, poetry, storytelling and acknowledgment of the people who are supporting and growing Bushwick.
Guests can expect music from DJs Ronnie Diaz and Angel Lopez of Perfect Touch DJ Company; performances from groups such as Educated Little Monsters Elm Youth Group and El Puente Bushwick Center; and coffee provided by Express Yourself Barista Bar. There will also be speakers from many wonderful Bushwick organizations such as Make the Road New York, Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, Bridging Bushwick and more. In addition, event goers will be able to check out some of the vendors from Bushwick Vendors Market, who will be there selling their designs and creations, and will also be able to sample food from some local restaurants.
Event coordinator, Linday Cornelio, spoke to us about why events like these are so important for the community. “These kind of events are important for several reasons,” explained Lindsay. “For some people it might be a chance to escape, celebrate, indulge in different types of music and food with their friends and families – a privilege that they might not normally have. These events are educational in that they allow people to hear about the real issues that the people around them are facing – the way people are struggling and fighting, as well as succeeding. These events allow safe space for people to make new, more diverse connections and potentially new support systems. And finally, these events remind people that there is community, that they are part of something much bigger or more powerful than themselves- and yet they make tremendous impact as individuals, both good and bad.”
“I have to say first and foremost, and this is really important, I am not building something new – there are already people here doing this kind of work, people that have always been here and who know much more than I do, people that should have their work written about everyday in social media,” added Lindsay. “I hope that ¡Celebra Bushwick! can at least provide an open platform for people to share some of these struggles, as well as successes. I am hoping that Bushwick residents will learn more about some of these initiatives, to be motivated to act and to contribute. And I hope that perhaps some new understandings and new connections might form- whether between organizations or individuals. The larger idea is that, if we are going to help our community members – as it is our responsibility as residents of this place, we need knowledge and awareness, and we need collaboration from top to bottom and side to side- and the larger and more diverse, the better.”
The day after ¡Celebra Bushwick! there will be an event at Silent Barn, Sun. March 15 2-4PM, that will address topics such as how community diversity and cohesion could help equality.
As of right now, there are no other ¡Celebra Bushwick! events planned for the immediate months, but Lindsay tells us that this will definitely not be a one-time gig.
¡Celebra Bushwick!, Hope Gardens Community Center, 422 Central Avenue, Brooklyn, Saturday, March 14 2-4PM. Free admission.