LETTER
from the
Dear Friends & Colleagues:
Greetings! I have the unique distinction of having grown up in Yonkers. In my teen years, many of my friends were from The Bronx. We were rebels and street kids, hanging out in places like Ewen Park, before the place was rehabilitated with new walls and steps, and its basketball courts were restored. Back then, we thought we were tough. And you know something? We were! I wouldn’t have wanted to grow up anywhere else in the world.
Last October, I published an article about PR and spin called “When The Bronx Looks Like Paris” and it upset many Bronxites who felt like I was dissing their neighborhood. I can see their point; for too long, people have been trashing The Bronx without telling the powerful stories of its people, who are unstoppable. So, this issue of The Connector is my apology to the people of The Bronx. I think their stories need to be heard. The Bronx is a microcosm of America and represents the best of what we have, our finest asset — the American people.
EDITOR
A special thanks to Alexandra Maruri, owner of MCNYTours, who was the catalyst behind this issue of
“American Heroes: The Bronx.”
Meet Rev. Carmen Hernandez
“Protector of the People”