BXN RADIO - EP 25: Ron Kavanaugh
For our twenty fifth episode, we talked with Magazine Publisher of Mosaic Magazine & Literacy Activist, Ron Kavanaugh.
Press play below.
For our twenty fifth episode, we talked with Magazine Publisher of Mosaic Magazine & Literacy Activist, Ron Kavanaugh.
Press play below.
We hosted a fun filled day for kids with activities and education on health and nutrition at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club - Lucile Palmaro Clubhouse. Many thanks to our partners: Chef Iliana Manganiello, Bronx Sole, EF Studios + Born Juice for partnering with us on this collaborative mission.
A walk down Westchester Avenue in the South Bronx reminds me of the countless stories that exist in our beautiful borough. The work-worn faces of the food vendors and artisans that line the avenue often belong to immigrants from Mexico, Ecuador, Nigeria, and other Latin American and African countries. Many of these people left their homelands in search of nothing more than a better life for themselves and their children. My mother is one of those “people who left home,” in search of hope and prosperity in the Bronx.
In 1987, my mother, Cynthia, left Nicaragua after a bloody surge in the country’s civil war. President Ronald Reagan's U.S. backed Contra forces had been combating the communist Sandinista government that had toppled the Somoza family's dynastic dictatorship after over forty years in power. This disruption of life and bloodshed propelled my mother to seek out coyotes, people that are paid to sneak immigrants into the United States by way of the U.S.-Mexico border, or, the "frontera." If it sounds ominous, it should. Our country's southern border with Mexico spans over 1,954 miles and its arid and harsh climate is tough on the skin. The possibility of getting lost while crossing is omnipresent for travelers. Then, if you successfully cross into the United States that's where the real “fun” begins. You have to secure passage into a local city, find a way to your final destination, and begin your life in the shadows.
My mother left behind her family, her job at a popular Nicaraguan bank, and her three sons. Juansito was the youngest of her children as he was only 2 years old when my mother left him behind. Everyday I wondered about the internal anguish mom must have felt when she hugged and kissed her baby, turned, and walked out the door towards America.
After staying in Miami for a few months Mom eventually made her way to the Bronx where she picked up work cleaning houses, babysitting and bartending. Subsequently, my father’s best friend brought him to his favorite pub to flirt with “a new beautiful bartender.” And just like that my parents fell in love and had me. By then her oldest sons and their father had made their way to Los Angeles and had begun American lives of their own. Only Juansito remained in Nicaragua after the civil war had ended. Mom’s quest for her citizenship was a long and arduous one. She had lost thousands of dollars on lawyers and “licenciados” that claimed they could help her, only to be duped. But then something happened that altered our lives forever, Juansito came to the Bronx. My mom secured a visa for Juansito and had his father fly him in. Mom and Juansito had finally been reunited. I spent countless hours teaching Juansito English and in turn he taught me Spanish. We played manhunt on Pelham Parkway with our friends, hopped schoolyard fences to play baseball, and visited all of the iconic New York City landmarks together.
After mom and dad had separated things became harder for us. Not only did we lose the one male figure in our lives who we looked up to, but we also lost the possibility of our parents getting married and providing Mom with “Los Papeles”, or, a green card. It seemed like every time we tried to do something fun or adventurous to escape the confines of our deteriorating home life we were always blocked by Mom’s legal status. By this time Mom was a temporary resident and her fear of being deported seeped into everything we wanted to do, especially travel. We were always vetoed by Mom’s laments over not having “Los Papeles”, it was constant and depressing.
Herb: Mom, can we go see Armando in California?
Mom: No, papa. Remember los papeles.
Juansito: Mom, can we drive to Canada like Berto’s family?
Mom: No, Juansitio. Los papeles.
I often think about my mother’s journey and wonder what life outside of New York City would have been like for our family. But, it’s the Bronx’s grit and toughness that allowed us to learn how to survive and become good honest men in the face of adversity. But, in Trump’s America a sense of fear and anxiety has overtaken our political discourse and permeates everyday life. Families visiting parks, schools, and libraries are afraid of Trump, ICE and the possibility of apprehension and deportation. It’s a scary time to be an undocumented immigrant in America. The same fruit vendors and artisans that are threatened by the government are our neighbors that are simply trying to make a livelihood to support the Juansitos of the world.
This is how Mom lived most of her adult life in the Bronx. In the shadows, afraid of opportunity and advancement, and constantly in fear of the government finding out she didn’t have “Los Papeles.”
For our twenty fourth episode, we talked with Co-Founder of Bronx Native, Amaurys Grullon.
We hosted our third Bronx Day Party in partnership with the Bronx Museum of the Arts, co-hosted by FunkNVibe.
Sponsored by Golden Krust, Beatsro, Gun Hill Brewery and Suna Na Saurauniya.
Thank you to everyone who came out, supported and enjoyed themselves.
For our twenty third episode, we talked with Environmental Artist and Chef, Daniel Lanzilotta.
Press play below.
Eric Michael is known for his screen printing work and studio of which he works out of in the Port Morris section of the Bronx. This past spring I had the pleasure of interviewing Eric. As a designer, I have an appreciation for screen printed work and the layers of work involved to create these pieces. You can read the full Q+A below:
Hi Eric, may you please introduce yourself:
Hey I’m Eric, owner of Eric Michael Screen Printing, based out of the South Bronx in Port Morris.
How long have you been here at the shop, and what made you decide upon opening in Port Morris?
I have been in this shop a little over a year now - but I have been screen printing in the Bronx for 6 years. I got priced out of my neighborhood where I grew on the East side of Manhattan, which was also where my first studio was.
This room [that we're in currently] was originally used for storage and my best friend suggested I move my operation here. I live about a mile away. I walk to work most of the time.
What has kept you in the Bronx?
I love the Bronx, I don’t plan on ever leaving the Bronx. I feel like it’s the last piece of real New York that’s left from when I was growing up. My neighborhood where I grew up is completely unrecognizable - the late 80s and and 90s were a completely different time. That is starting to happen over here a little bit. But there is still the essence and grit of New York that feels genuine.
A certain amount of down to earth-ness.
Yes, and realness.
Now that you have lived here for so many years and have this space - and can see all of the changes that are going on and happening. How do feel about your business here seeing all that has been changing and happening - has there been growth?
It’s been good being in this location. It’s brought new clientele and helped myself and my clients spark new interest in the arts that are happening in the Bronx. A lot of people have interest in keeping certain areas how they were -- authentic. Especially this area of the Bronx - it’s one of the last areas that hasn't been developed. For movie studios like Silvercup and HBO, it can be dressed up to look like any decade. I think that’s a big part of the reason why Silvercup just moved here.
What inspired you to create the Loew’s Theater Shirt. You mentioned earlier, it sold out, and it feels like it belongs to a certain generation. What makes it so special?
I really enjoy shirts that bring back nostalgic feelings. I did the Loew’s neon because it reminded me of Christmas time as a kid headed to Fordham Rd. My brand is my namesake and these designs are very personal to me. City Island also gives that warm feeling of family, celebration, summer time, because that particular neon is the first thing you see when you go over the bridge, so it brings up good feelings. I wanted to make that available to everyone.
What are some of your favorite Bronx areas?
I love the Northwest Bronx, where my first apartment was when i moved out my my families place. Of course, Mott Haven, where I currently live - I moved to the Clock Tower in 2012 and that is where many of my strongest bonds were formed. Some of my best friends and relationships are from that building. My girlfriend and I met there, my son was born the first year I moved to the building. The saying it takes a village to raise a child is so true, the building helped me raised my son. He was the first baby in the building, everyone knew him.
How do you maintain a sense of community?
At Bruckner Bar and Grill and Charlies, we all know each other. Everyone talks to one another, hanging out at the same places. Every Christmas at Charlie’s I have a holiday pop-up shop, which the whole neighborhood shows up for. Summer time has BBQ’s and garden maintenance days. That keeps everyone involved and engaged. There’s a real sense of community in our little corner of the BX.
Who orders your shirts and who are your clients?
Lots of local businesses. Lots of streetwear brands. People who are trying to get their names out there. I have built up a loyal following through word of mouth and it’s been effective. Most of my clients are artist, and so are their friends. They are rappers, musicians and in general a lot of people who are chasing their dreams. NY is the home of the hustle. That is why my business thrives. People in NY are always trying to make moves and t-shirts are a great way to do that. I have thought about moving the operation to LA, where it’s t-shirt season all year round, but the vibe is different.
How has Graffiti inspired you?
It all ties together - I would not be doing this if it wasn’t for graffiti. I needed a summer job when i was 18. At the time in 2001, trucker hats were all the rage. The foam domes, as we used to call them. My boys and I needed to work and we made those hats and used graffiti to make money. Then we expanded into sneakers which changed into airbrushing for tee shirts. After airbrushing it was a very natural crossover for me to then go on to screen printing. With the airbrushing I would spend an entire day on one shirt and I realized “hmm I should be thinking about mass production.” People were approaching me to do jobs - a job that would take me a week could then be done quicker with the screen printing.
I happened to be dating someone who got me a great book on screen printing and I taught myself everything I know. Started in 2004 and haven’t stopped since.
What are some of your goals for your business and yourself as an artist?
I would like to be able to do my art full time, and be more selective about the printing jobs I take on. I’d like to do more mural work, as it helps the community, and brings people together. Each summer I try to paint a few pieces through the city.
Made by Eric Michael is located at 789 E 139th St, Bronx NY.
You can find more of his work on Instagram
As part of the Citizen X Tour we hosted last month, we teamed up with Alex Rivera of The Bronxer to host a live podcast at El Fogon Center for the Arts. We spoke with two of the most popular culinary artists, Trill Cooker and Jason Alicea, owner of Empanology, who are both paving a way for themselves and their work in the South Bronx.
To end the month of June, we kicked off a three day experience in partnership with The Citizen Caravan, a mobile camper and pop-up bar.
Throughout the three days, we had different themed nights which included: Movie Night co-hosted with The Bronx Filmmakers Collective, Game Night at the Gun Hill Brewery and a Live Podcast co-hosted with The Bronxer, where we interviewed Trill Cooker and Jason of Empanology.
For this episode we sat down with Blogger and Educator, Deyla Sabio from Blogger from the Bronx
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