News

M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden has been celebrating Juneteenth since 2004 with music, food, artmaking, and community education on Black history.  M’Finda Kalunga (‘Garden at the Edge of the World’) was named by Bob Humber and garden founders to honor the unmarked adjacent Chrystie Street African Burial Ground.

Juneteenth – “Honoring Our Past, Present, and Future”

Where: M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden – Sara Roosevelt Park at Rivington Street

When: Saturday June 22nd (1pm-4pm)

Program includes

• Opening ceremony led by Dennis RedMoon Darkeem
• Unveiling of ‘Halo’ by Immanuel Oni, a new installation commemorating the Chrystie Street African Burial Ground

‘Halo’ is commissioned by FABnyc with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

• Performance by Resistance Revival Chorus
• Honoring activist and community ‘father’ Bob Humber for his four decades of service to the park
• Art and poetry by students from Forsyth Satellite Academy High School
• R & B and Blues performer Bobby Bryan; drumming by Healing Drum Circle 
• Activities from the Tenement Museum, FABnyc, Sara Roosevelt Park Coalition, and others

Please consider joining us as we celebrate Juneteenth and Black history in the Lower East Side – and in our larger effort to create inclusive community and connection in Sara Roosevelt Park.

Red Bud Tree in front of the BRC Senior Center

Houston bball, Tessa’s plot and feeding hungry people.

The Multi Use Area (aka The Pit) Full court game and one-to-one soccer lesson.

Hua Mei Birders

New plantings at Chrystie/Grand to Broome:

de Britto Garden

M’Finda Kalunga Garden’s Bocce players tend to a tree limb broken off by an angry passer -by:

Hard work, a united community, a beautiful earth and a beautiful song for a beautiful life. 

NYC Parks Department’s Jami Phillips

Partnership for Parks Ashley Keunneke

Chinatown Partnership’s Wellington Chen, Rosie Derong Li (key organizer) Weng Cheng, and volunteers

M’Finda Garden, Sara Roosevelt Park Community Coalition and neighborhood’s: Kate Fitzgerald, Bob Humber, Debra Jeffreys Glass, K Webster (key organizer), Rainer Keller, Paul Fox, Davis Tsang-Fox, Cheryl Wolf, Tom Wolf, And volunteers

Vivian’s  Sol Sharp Music and volunteers to hear the song 

Chinese Progressive Association: Mae Lee & Kyra

Fifth Precinct’s Youth officers: PO Randy Chan & PO Shaneeka Smith & Youth Explorers)

Keisha Midouin 50 Bowery and volunteers

Nagi Alamri – GF55 Architects

Thank you all.

Watering the next Day. (we need a water source in this section of Sara Roosevelt Park!!!)

Here are the Gardeners who tend these areas of Sara Roosevelt Park – All but one group are made up entirely of volunteers working closely with NYC Parks Staff.

Kate Fitzgerald, Tessa Huxley, Rob Watson, K Webster, Bob Humber, The M’Finda Kalunga Gardeners, The Hua Mei Gardeners, The de Britto Gardeners, AudubonNY Gardeners, The Hort, The Ribbon/Sunflower plot Gardeners – and recently Chinatown Partnership and volunteers!

Elected officials came to listen to neighbors on their hopes and wishes for Sara Roosevelt Park Grand to Delancey section.

AND to get housing displacement information!

Everyone was invited and welcomed to participate. Everyone!!

Thanks to Senator Kavanagh, Assemblymember Lee, Council Member Marte and John Blasco representing Congressman Goldman!

And to the

Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement, NYC Parks Max Goodstein, Ricardo Hinkle, and Design Team’s Crystal Xing

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On April 20th starting at 9:30am – 1pm we will celebrate Earth Day and honor the life of Christina Yuna Lee by planting flowers. 

Asociación CHINATOWN, Parques de la Ciudad de Nueva York, Coalición Comunitaria del Parque Sara Roosevelt, ConEd,

Limpieza y plantación de flores en el parque Sara Roosevelt a lo largo de Chrystie Street desde Grand Street hasta Broome Street

20/04/2024 de 9:30 am – 1:00 PM:

Únase a nosotros para celebrar el Día de la Tierra y honrar la vida de Christina Yuna Lee.

Más detalles y registro de REGISTRO DE VOLUNTARIO:

dli@chinatownpartnership.org

This will be a temporary garden (as the Parks Department gears up for the renovation of this section). When the renovation is completed we intend to regroup.

[Flyer and site photo below]

From Chinatown Partnership’s Rosie Derong Li:

Task 1: Cleaning and picking up trash in and around the SDR Park.

Task 2: Planting

The volunteers will mainly plant flowers and plants on the side planting area in the SDR Park along Chrystie Street (roughly from Grand to Broome) and or while supplies last!

We will plant under the guidance of gardeners from SDR Park Community Coalition. Besides the plants provided by Jamil from the Parks Department, the Chinatown BID will purchase some compost soil and some plants as supplements.

We will gather in Sara Roosevelt Park. (near Grand Street’s Lion’s Gate entrance on the Chrystie Street side of the soccer field) near the Grand Street Subway Station, between the two lions next to the soccer field.

Thanks to the vision of Wellington Chen and the Chinatown Partnership, in partnership with our Park Manager Jamil Phillips of Parks Department, Ashley Kuenneke of Partnerships for Parks, Con Ed, and Sara Roosevelt Park Community Coalition and M’Finda Kalunga Garden members.

We hope you will join with this neighborhood in this community effort.

RSVP Please!!

Use the attached flyer

or

email: dli@chinatownpartnership.org

with your name and how many people you are rsvp’ing for

In Gratitude,

All of us

Asociación CHINATOWN, Parques de la Ciudad de Nueva York, Coalición Comunitaria del Parque Sara Roosevelt, ConEd,

Limpieza y plantación de flores en el parque Sara Roosevelt a lo largo de Chrystie Street desde Grand Street hasta Broome Street

20/04/2024 de 9:30 am – 1:00 PM:

Únase a nosotros para celebrar el Día de la Tierra y honrar la vida de Christina Yuna Lee.

Más detalles y registro de REGISTRO DE VOLUNTARIO:

dli@chinatownpartnership.org