Given that I've had some sudden changes in my life I take the time to post a blog about what's happening with myself.
As most of you know, I have been leading a pretty nomadic life since August...Puerto Rico, Vermont, Boston, Vermont, New York, Vermont, Boston, Puerto Rico, Boston, New York. I have to give special thanks to all of those who gave me a place on their sofa/bed. Shout out to the Blue House 2 (Kari, Emily, Kim, Cristine), Cupcake (Corwin), B. Parmilly, Buddy Boy (Jason) and the Letorney family up in Vermont. After a somewhat frustrating job search time during October and November I vacationed it up in PR and had an excessive amount of good times. You can visually see that in my photo album @ www.picasaweb.com/cuchicheo (I hope these convince you to come some day to PR. Josh accused me of not being personally invited so: You are all invited to come to PR and hang with the best tour guide in town. That is, when I'm in PR, which I'm not).
So, I accepted a position with a EJ organization in Brooklyn called UPROSE (www.uprose.org) the same day I recorded a TV commercial for a Shopping Center. Indeed...i was that broke. I was supposed to be an extra and ended up front and center. No I do not have a copy of this nor have I seen it. If I ever do have it I will NOT let you see it.
Last week I got some buddy time and I feel like and idiot cause I did not take a picture of all of us at the blue house. Speaking of which...why are there no picture of Lizzy's B-Day around and/or a post about it? Here is a picture I took when Buddy Boy took Carolyn, Courtney and I for a walk in Franklin Park. He's a good tour guide...ask him to take you on one of this death marches. This here is inside some creepy cages of a long gone zoo.
So I am now in Brooklyn and today was my second day of work. I am officially a Transportation Justice Coordinator. The organization is community based but super active in the general NY EJ community. They are doing all kinds of projects: Creating a Brownfields Opportunity Area in Sunset Park; negotiating with power plants that want to expand; participating in the creation of Solid Waste Transfer station for recycling; Brooklyn Greenway; all types of youth organizing and workshops; Climate Justice; Tree Planting, Hybrid buses etc. etc. The organization is super small, Exec director and 5 other staff members including me.
I've been assigned anything transportation related but 65% of my work is related to this still unnamed NY Transportation Equity Coalition that is creating a platform and organizing to 1) Lobby in the Hill for transportation equity in the soon coming transportation reauthorization bill 2) Educate the public on the complexities of this stuff to empower them and give them necessary info so that when and if this stuff goes through they can all participate in making sure that the state distributes and uses these funds 'correctly'. UPROSE and 3 other organizations: WE ACT (http://www.weact.org), Tri-State Transportation Campaign (http://www.tstc.org) and Empire State Future (http://www.empirestatefuture.org) are the steering committee for this coalition. I won't bore you with the details but you get the idea. The rest of my job is following up and implementing community projects which include the Brooklyn Greenway and making 4th ave. more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.
I suppose it's ironic that with no EJ or transportation courses I have been thrust into this but I guarantee you that this is the best crash course ever. I'm also doing a lot of independent studying to get on track but right now its more about advocacy and organizing more than anything. I am completely lost in NY politics...already learning about the good and bad legislators, reps, senators and such....lots of politics.
So, that's a summary of whats up with that. I still do not have an apt. but when I do you are all invited to visit. I hope this blog inspires you folks to post something as well.
Love and miss y'all,
Silly Gilly
