Events
Upcoming Events
HEArts Center Spring Festival
Satuarday, June 14th @ Willis Playground and Alexander’s Alley
Join us for the HEArts Center Spring Festival as we continue to spotlight the holistic practices and programming that will be offered at the soon-to-be HEArts Center.
This day of wellness and joy will begin with a spiritual cleansing and blessing led by healer and ritual performer Zayda Rivera, followed by a powerful demo of the Healing Dome experience—led by the artist behind it, Dr. Drum (José Ortiz), and powered by rhythm and spirit! Karla Mayenbeer Cruz, author and activist, will present a live reading of her children’s book The Adventures of Pepita Morales at City Hall—a powerful story about collective action and community pride. And don’t miss a special performance by award-winning poet, musician, and Bronx native Bonafide Rojas, whose work celebrates identity, heritage, and resistance. You can catch him only wearing red socks.
Recent Events
Bronx Food & Farm Tours
Saturday, May 10th @ 128 Lincoln Ave
Thank you to everyone who made Saturday’s 2nd Bronx Food & Farm Tours: Environmental Justice in Mott Haven and Port Morris such a memorable day! We were proud to bring back this powerful tour, highlighting community gardens and future green spaces. Big thanks to our partners—NYBG Bronx Green-Up, El Barrio Bikes, NYCBUS, Montefiore Einstein, and Bronx S.W.A.B.—for making it possible. From spoken word and garden visits to shared meals from our friends at La Morada and B-Blossom, the day was full of reflection, connection, and celebration!
NYC Council District 8 Candidates Forum
Saturday, April 26 @ 345 Brook Ave
Mott Haven and East Harlem showed up strong for our NYC Council District 8 Candidates Forum on Saturday, April 26! Huge thanks to the community members and local partner organizations whose thoughtful questions led to a meaningful and wide-ranging discussion.
This forum was proudly organized by South Bronx Unite & The Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards, BronxHype, East Harlem/El Barrio Community Land Trust, Guns Down Life Up, New York Communities for Change, The People’s Church, Save Section Nine, and the NYCHA Resident Associations of Mill Brook, Mott Haven, and Patterson Houses.
Earth Day: Clean-Up Day of Action
Saturday, April 19th @ Willis Playground
Earth Day was a success! Our Clean-Up Day of Action, held in collaboration with Community Board 1, was a beautiful day filled with community, connection, and care. We showed some love to Willis Playground with the help of incredible volunteers and our amazing partners: Bronx SWAB, GrowNYC, Qi Wellness, and Go! Sports. A special thank you to OnPointNYC for conducting a syringe litter clean-up ahead of time, ensuring a safe and welcoming space for everyone. Together, we spread mulch to nourish the tree beds, enjoyed delicious tamales, and kept the good vibes flowing with great music. Huge thanks to everyone who showed up and showed out—your energy made the day!
HEArts Center Healing Festival
Saturday, October 5th @ Willis Playground
Thank you to everyone who came to our HEArts Center Festival. We are turning our community's vision for the former Lincoln Recovery Center into reality by creating a people’s center focused on holistic health, education, and the arts: HEArts Center. Community healing was at the heart of the festival. We danced to UpBeat NYC’s live saxophones, enjoyed delicious food provided by Unconditional Freedom, skateboarded and rollerbladed with GoSports, and restored our energy with Qi Zone Wellness holistic practices. Lastly, we are grateful to OnPoint NYC for co-organizing this beautiful event with us.
Clean Air Community Convening
Tuesday, September 24 @ 127 Lincoln Ave
Thank you to everyone who joined us for an engaging and insightful Clean Air Community Convening! We had meaningful open discussions about how air quality impacts each of us, and learning from the community is just as important as the data we're collecting. Your feedback through our activity will help shape and improve our project. We hope you stay involved in our clean air advocacy efforts and join us at our next convening to learn more about the latest air quality updates in our community.
End-of-Summer Waterfront BBQ!
Saturday, September 7 @ 56 Lincoln Ave
Another powerful event this year as we continue reclaiming the waterfront! We had the best time bringing our community back to #ourwaterfront this month for an end-of-summer BBQ next to the Lincoln Ave Street End, one of the few direct access points to the our peninsula's waterfront. Seeing kids' smiles, parents taking pictures of the river, people relaxing and enjoying the music were priceless and a powerful reminder of the urgency to advance the community-envisioned Mott Haven - Port Morris WaterFront Plan Thanks to all community members who joined and to A House on Beekman, Korean Art Forum and NYC DSA for contributing to the success of this event.
Bronx Food and Farm Tours
Saturday, May 18 @ La Finca Del Sur
The Bronx Food and Farm bus/bike tour of Mott Haven and Port Morris was a great success thanks to everyone who joined us. Your enthusiasm was crucial as we explored how local community gardens foster healing, education, and resilience against toxic industries.
South Bronx Waterfront Community Envision Sessions
Saturday, April 3 & May 11
Thank you to all community members who participated in our Waterfront Community Envision sessions. Your invaluable feedback will directly support our $20 million EPA Community Change Grant application. We gained valuable insights on how to activate two key locations on the Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront: the southern end of Lincoln Ave and the eastern end of E 132nd St., which will be crucial in preparing a strong application to bring these sites to life.
Earth Day Celebration & Art Installation
Saturday, April 27 @ 56 Lincoln Ave
On April 27th, we celebrated Earth Day with community members and local artist Leslie Lopez, gathering at the southern end of Lincoln Ave to reclaim a difficult-to-access public space. This event showcased a community-designed art installation, reflecting our neighborhood's creativity and commitment to an equitable waterfront.
Clean Air Community Convening
Wednesday, March 6 @ 127 Lincoln Ave
Thank you for joining us for an engaging convening where we discussed the dangerous air pollution in our community, shared information about our air quality monitoring program, and strategized on how we could work together to shape clean air policies for our community
HEArts Press Conference
Thursday, February 22 @ Willis Playground
South Bronx Unite and the Mott Haven Port Morris Community Land Stewards hosted a press conference to announce the city's selection of the HEArts project and to reannounce the community’s victory.