Bronx Week 2015
By Rachelle Anthony
Bronx Week 2015, a celebration of the best of the borough, was officially launched on May 3. Many businesses and community leaders from the Bronx came out to kick off the week.
“We want to continue to show our Bronx pride,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “We want to show the world that the Bronx is the place to be.”
Ed Garcia Conde, who attended the event, said he was hosting Bronx Fashion Week. “I like that Bronx Week celebrates the diversity of our borough,” he said. “Each year it seems to have improved.”
Bronx Week 2015 runs from May 7 to May 17, with two or more events a day. One is the Centenarian Celebration at the Villa Barone Manor on May 7 which honors Bronxites 100 years and older.
“We’ve been sponsoring Bronx Week for a couple of years,” said Maria Gordon Shydlo, director of public relations for United Healthcare. The company is hosting a health event day on May 15. “We’re going to be in all four corners of the Bronx: east, west, north, and south,” said Shirley Cos. “We’d like to welcome everyone to come and visit our booth as well on Sunday for the big finale,” said Cos.
The week concludes with a Bronx Week parade, a concert and the Bronx Walk of Fame 2015 induction ceremony on the Grand Concourse. The Bronx Ball will honor this year’s Walk of Fame inductees which include actor Malik Yoba, actor and author Stacey Dash and NBA legend Dolph Schayes.
Lisa Hall was at the launch with her young daughter. “This is a lovey event, I’m so proud that I came out,” said Hall. “The camaraderie. Everybody is like family. This is really great for the Bronx as a whole and for how other states and countries can look at us. There were a lot of times that we saw a lot of controversies, and a lot of bad things were said about us. Hopefully they’ll get a new light on us and we can try to clean up our reputation a little bit,” she said.