Our friends at M’Finda Kalunga Garden are hosting their annual Juneteenth Celebration this Sunday, June 19 from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. in Sara D. Roosevelt Park (at Rivington Street between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets). There will be readings, refreshments and live music from Latin R&B artist Irving Louis.
This year the community organization has extended a special invitation to former Rivington House residents and care workers, in hopes of hearing about their personal stories from their time at the non-profit AIDS hospice facility.
Rivington House was recently closed and sold to developers, in a deal that has turned into a controversy and potential large scale scandal for mayor de Blasio. Multiple investigations are ongoing into the city’s decision to lift non-profit deed restrictions at 45 Rivington St., making the old public school building a prime target for luxury condo developers. Neighborhood activists have launched a petition — urging the mayor to return Rivington House to the local community.
You can read our ongoing coverage of this fiasco here.
