The Fordham University United Student Government’s (USG) Diversity Action Coalition (DAC) hosted their annual Bronx Appreciation Week from Monday, April 13, to Saturday, April 18. The committee held one event each day to immerse students in Bronx culture and to show their appreciation for Fordham’s surrounding neighborhood.
The committee began the week by holding an event titled “Celebration of Bronx Visual Arts” on April 13, where two local artists came to Fordham to present their work. The event was held in the McShane Campus Center Great Hall.
The first artist, Edwin Pagán, shared his photography in a presentation titled, “‘Throwback:’ A Documentary Photo Essay of the South Bronx.” His photos ranged from scenes of children playing in the street under a burst fire hydrant in the heat of summer to more familial ones.
The second artist was Antoinette (Annie) Legnini, who shared her artwork through a presentation titled, “‘Bronx Faces’ & ‘Street Shrines’ Collections.” Legnini’s first collection, according to her website, is a series that combines the stories of Bronx locals with mixed media art.
For the second event of the week, held on Tuesday, April 14, DAC collaborated with the Campus Activities Board (CAB) to put on a screening of “The Get Down,” directed by Baz Luhrmann. The series was marketed as a Netflix original series showing the rise of hip-hop and youth culture in the Bronx community. Alongside the screening, they had a raffle where attendees could give money ($3 for one entry and $5 for two) for the chance to win New York Yankees tickets for April 17, or AirPods, with all of the proceeds going to SoBro.
SoBro, according to the description on their website, is an organization “committed to making the South Bronx affordable, economically productive, and healthy for our community.”
On the third day, DAC held a Bronx Food Fest, where local restaurants served food. Admission into the Bronx Food Fest event, as well as food, was free for all students. The event was aimed at sharing the tastes of Bronx cuisine with Fordham students. The restaurants that participated were Parrilla Latina, Golden Crust Caribbean, Mezza Luna Pizza, Colima Taqueria and Barino’s Market.
The fourth event was a faculty lecture on Fordham and the Bronx. Professor and Chair of the African and African American studies department Jane Edward, Ph.D., gave a presentation titled, “From the Continent to the Borough: African Diaspora Influence in the Bronx,” while professor Mark Naison, Ph.D., gave a talk entitled, “How Immigration Makes The Bronx — And New York City — Great!” Pugsley’s Pizza was served at the event.
The event held on the fifth day was the Bronx Appreciation Week’s Music Night. DAC held a night of live music featuring Fordham student performers Drew Torres, Jack Wenz and Maria Schroeder and Badger Scratch, hosted in Fordham’s own Rodriguez’s Coffee House.
For the sixth and final event, students gathered on the sunny Saturday morning of April 18, volunteering to clean up the Bronx River Forest in partnership with the Bronx River Alliance.
Vice president of DAC Laila Sayegh, FCRH ’27, shared the amount of time put into this week of events.
“DAC is divided into six subcommittees, and although Bronx Appreciation Week (BAW) is a single week late in the spring semester, the BAW subcommittee operates from the beginning of the school year, starting in September,” Sayegh said in an email. “The goal is to create a holistic program that showcases different aspects of The Bronx’s history, culture, and community in an intentional and engaging way.”
Sayegh shared more on her favorite event to organize: the “Celebration of Bronx Visual Arts.”
“Ever since I joined DAC as a freshman, one of my favorite events to attend is the Visual Arts night,” Sayegh said. “Not only do we get to admire incredible art and talent, but through exploring the works of these different artists, we’re also getting a lesson on history and culture…You realize how many voices and perspectives are out there that don’t always get institutional recognition, and I’m glad that through BAW we’re able to expose some of the student body to this rich culture beyond our gates.”
When asked about why Fordham students should attend events like this in the future, Sayegh cited caring for the Bronx community as a motivation.
“I think students should care because we’re living in the Bronx, but it’s really easy to go through four years here without actually engaging with it in a meaningful way,” Sayegh detailed. “And beyond that, it’s about being more aware of the community we’re a part of. We hope to help students recognize that there’s a lot happening right outside our gates and it’s worth paying attention to.”
