November 2020 Newsletter

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the second issue of On The Rise. This issue will also be our last newsletter for 2020 – a challenging year, to say the least. My hope for you is that you are feeling greater calm after a stressful presidential election, regardless of which side you supported. One thing was made abundantly clear: we are a deeply divided nation in need of healing. And I firmly believe
that now is the time to work together to find common ground on issues affecting all of us.

As we move into 2021, we must seek shared understanding through empathy if we are to heal the divisions that prevent us from being our collective best. We must pay extra attention to the communities of color that have borne the brunt of the COVID crisis if we are to achieve an inclusive recovery. I believe that RiseBoro’s work in community building can help lead us into a more equitable and just 2021 and beyond.

— Scott Short, CEO

WHOSE FOOD? OUR FOOD
RB FOOD JUSTICE IS NOW RB OUR FOOD!

The Our Food team at RiseBoro invites our communities to build a vibrant, robust food system with and for all of us. Food is central to how we live our lives – our work, our health, our neighborhoods. The majority of workers in this country are food workers – mostly Black and brown and underpaid. A handful of corporations make massive profits -collapsing the environment in the process – and wealthy communities thrive, while working class communities and communities of color have little access to healthy and affordable options. Our food should be the opposite. Our food should keep our communities healthy, should give our people dignified work, drive a just transition through the climate crisis, bring our neighborhoods to life. Our food should be a source of joy, connection, health, and solidarity. Our food should build community, knowledge, power, and self-determination. Our food should be ours.

SCHOOL’S, OUT NEW YORK CITY!
SONYC AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

Looking for fun, free, and safe after school activities for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders? Look no further than RiseBoro’s SONYC after school program! Registration is now open! Students will get the opportunity to explore sports, arts, social activism, youth leadership,
and so much more!
Monday – Friday, 3 – 6 PM
RB Youth Center, 1474 Gates Ave.

Register today.

For more information contact James Connelly—
[email protected] or at (718) 381-9653 Ext 149

TROPIC LIKE IT’S HOT!
VIRTUAL RB—  COOKING WITH CHEF NIKKI

Join us Fridays at 12 PM in the Virtual RB Kitchen for Cooking With Chef Nikki, a weekly cooking demonstration with RiseBoro Culinary Educator, Nikki Warsop-Lindo. The demos will alternate between English and Spanish, every other Friday.

Only on our Facebook Live.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
THE RISEBORO GIVING FAMILY

We’re only two weeks away from Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving and generosity. At RiseBoro, we believe that we can help create a more just and equitable world where everyone has a fair chance to succeed and thrive.

But we can’t do that work without you.

Which is why Giving Tuesday is the perfect opportunity for you to join the RiseBoro Giving Family. Join today and make a difference for the people who need you the most.

If you’ve already joined our Giving Family or contributed at our Gala, thanks for your support and be sure to lookout for RiseBoro Swag coming to you just in time for the holidays…

Join the RiseBoro Giving Family.

The Best Gala in the Gala-xy
Gala Vimeo Video

Thank you for your support at the RiseBoro Virtual Gala 2020!

Didn’t get a chance to get involved the day of the event? Or maybe you want to relive the magic? Either way, you can check out the full video on Vimeo now.

THE CONSENSUS ON CENSUS
RB CENSUS EFFORTS

RiseBoro is 1 of the top 5 Census community outreach groups in NYC!

Shoutout to the RiseBoro Census Team for their outreach efforts to make sure our communities got counted.

And special thanks to Jaylin Butts, former Census Captain and new RB Empowerment Outreach employee!

NYC is home to communities that are most frequently undercounted, including Black, Latinx, LGBTQ, and immigrants from all across the globe. And because the Census results determine where federal funding goes, our Census Team made did their part to make sure our communities got their fair share.

RBG REIGNED SUPREME
RUTH BADER GINSBURG

This issue we are inspired by the words of the late Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first Jewish woman and only the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court!

“We are a nation made strong by people like you who traveled long distances, overcame great obstacles, and made tremendous sacrifices— all to provide a better life for themselves and their families.

My own father arrived in this land at age 13, with no fortune and speaking no English. My mother was born four months after her parents, with several children in tow, came by ship to Ellis Island. My father and grandparents reached, as you do, for the American dream. As testament to our nation’s promise, the daughter and granddaughter of these immigrants sits on the highest Court in the land.”

Ginsburg gave this speech to candidates of US citizenship at a naturalization ceremony at the New York Historical society on April 10, 2018.

Read the full speech.

Around Town

SPEAK UP ON COVID
COVID SURVEY

RiseBoro Wellness Rising is partnering with Mt. Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine to create data on how COVID continues to affect Brooklyn residents.

Be a part of the fight for change. Speak up on COVID-19.

Staff Stuff

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE BEGINS AT HOME

“When you build better, there are cascading benefits beyond using less energy.” Ryan Cassidy, Director of Sustainability and Construction, RB Housing, speaks about Knickerbocker Commons, a RiseBoro’s Housing project, which has 24 units of affordable housing but only 10% of the energy of a traditional apartment building!

Read the full Oculus Magazine article.