As a valued member of our community, We Stay/Nos Quedamos (NQ) invites you to join us in celebrating the organization’s 30th Anniversary, our pearl anniversary! Like the milestone it represents, the pearl – born from external agitation and pressure – is symbolic of the impact NQ has had on South Bronx neighborhoods once written off as “disposable.” While some give up under pressure, others stay and flourish, taking what was once an irritation and using it to build power and transform themselves and their communities. Since our early days, we have helped create sustainable, healthy and thriving communities by harnessing the power of committed local residents and business owners who want to resist displacement and remain a part of Melrose Commons. This momentous anniversary is a gift that allows us to reflect on our history and look ahead to the next era with promise.
WE STAY/Nos Quedamos Past, Present, and Future: WE STAY, WE BUILD, WE FLOURISH!
We Stayed: Embracing Our Past
Our work began in 1992 when NYC designated 30 blocks in Melrose to be redeveloped for middle-income New Yorkers. Outraged by the injustice of probable displacement, the local community banded together to draft and pass an alternative proposal, the “Melrose Urban Renewal Plan,” which became a one-of-a-kind, internationally-recognized case study in transformative community power. NQ was proud to lead that charge and has been an agent for change in the South Bronx ever since. Some of our major successes include:
- Developing affordable housing for more than 4,000 families, with over 400 new homeowners, and nearly 1M square feet of new commercial real estate in Melrose
- Creating green space for Bronxites of all ages with $6.6M in construction for Yolanda Garcia Park
- Establishing Melrose as the first NYS neighborhood to receive the LEED Silver Certification for Neighborhood Development from the US Green Building Council
- Recently winning two Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grants to equip Melrose with low-cost broadband access and resiliency infrastructure
- Securing a total investment value of over $500,000,000 in Melrose
We Build: Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Melrose
Facing compounding threats and impacts from COVID and climate change, the data clearly shows that economic, social, and health challenges are felt most strongly in historically excluded and marginalized BIPOC communities like Melrose. As many of you may remember all too vividly, the Melrose Commons community was unprepared and left without any outside assistance for the first 72 hours after Hurricane Sandy hit NYC in 2012. Learning from this pivotal experience, NQ identified emergency preparedness and climate resilience as vital areas of focus. As extreme weather becomes more frequent, our community (which is non-waterfront, and therefore not a municipal priority) must prepare itself for flooding, brownouts/blackouts, and leakage of toxins, due to highly stressed infrastructure and existing environmental hazards. To address these challenges, NQ is partnering with committed funders, stakeholders, and city agencies to develop Climate Resiliency Hubs at public sites in Melrose. These blue/green infrastructure projects sit at the nexus of emergency management, climate change mitigation, and social equity, providing opportunities for our community to become more resilient, socially connected, and sustainable before, during, and after disruptions.
We Flourish: Expanding NQ’s Legacy
Like the pearl, our community is not just ours to enjoy, but to treasure, protect, and pass on to future generations. Nos Quedamos’ push for community self-determination and ownership is part of our larger strategy towards building resiliency and community wealth. This requires a community capacity to plan for, respond to, and recover from major disruptions in the neighborhood within the realms of health, prosperity and equal access. In order to achieve these outcomes, Nos Quedamos’ strategy recognizes the need to address the gaps in access to quality/affordable homes, access to broadband connectivity, as well as to mitigate the damage done over years of environmental racism by building long-term community resiliency and efficiency. We also recognize that we have a duty to protect our collective future by preparing the next generation of leaders. To this end, NQ launched the Youth Leadership Development Project, a youth-led community development and environmental justice advocacy program that cultivates a new generation of leaders to ensure that the future of Melrose continues to be driven by the people of Melrose.
We Are Melrose: Join Us in Celebrating Community Power and Change
NQ’s transformative work in Melrose would not be possible without the sustained support of its funders. To celebrate our 30th Anniversary, we are aiming to raise $900,000, which will be reinvested in the Melrose community to continue to build power, resilience, and expand our community’s legacy. As an important partner in this work, we hope that we can count on your continued investment in NQ and Melrose. In appreciation of your gift, we will be offering exclusive access to our VIP Silent Kickoff Breakfast on June 9, 2023, which will include an open bar, a signature breakfast buffet, live music, and networking opportunities with special remarks from me, Jessica Clemente, CEO of We Stay/Nos Quedamos. Additionally, you will receive a sponsorship package, which will memorialize your gift through various levels of recognition at our campaign events and on NQ’s promotional materials and website. For a description of our sponsorship levels, please see the attachment to this email. You can donate and secure your seat at the VIP breakfast by making a gift on our 30th Anniversary Campaign Page or you can make a pledge over the phone by calling NQ’s Community Liaison, Ms. Anna Vincenty at 917-600-3259.
We also ask that you join us and Councilmember Rafael Salamanca for a historic street renaming of East 160th Street and Melrose Avenue on Saturday, June 10th at 1:50 pm EDT. East 160th Street and Melrose Avenue will be renamed to honor the 30-year legacy of Nos Quedamos’ community-led power and transformation of Melrose Commons and the South Bronx. Attendees will meet at the corner of East 160th St. and Melrose Ave. at 2:00 P.M. and will walk to the Yolanda Garcia Park for the ceremony.
This ceremony is a part of the “We Are Melrose” (WAM) festival from 12pm – 6pm, which will celebrate the uniqueness of Melrose with live entertainment, vendors, games, and more. We hope to see you there!
YGP: Jessica Clemente Dedication Comments
Thank you Commissioner Silva, Commissioner Rodríguez, Bronx Borough President Díaz Jr., Councilmember Salamanca, Congressman Serrano, Assemblymember Blake, Community Board 3 and all of the community partners, leaders and friends who supported the “Friends of Yolanda García Park” efforts! We did this together!
Good Morning Everyone. I am Jessica Clemente and I am proud to say I am the CEO of We Stay/Nos Quedamos.
It was Yolanda’s pride, passion and tenacity that made Nos Quedamos possible. It is that spirit and empowerment, that drew me to Nos Quedamos and why I felt compelled to pick up the baton.
Fundamentally, I believe in what Yolanda García believed in 25 years ago. The community with one voice can change their reality!
Outraged by the injustice of their displacement, the local community banded together to create the We Stay/Nos Quedamos Committee in 1993 with Yolanda leading the charge.
This lead to the unprecedented passing of the community-led alternative proposal, the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Plan.
We are proud to have been an agent of change in our community; where the transformation has included:
- The development of affordable housing for more than 4000 families,
- More than 400 new homeowners in the Melrose community
- The addition of nearly one million square feet of commercial real estate space
- This neighborhood revitalization plan earned first Stage II LEED-ND Silver certification in New York State under the LEED for Neighborhood Development Pilot Program. Certification of this plan at the Silver level not only raises awareness of what has been accomplished in the South Bronx, but also increases public confidence in the sustainable redevelopment of other urban neighborhoods across the country.
- Direct Social Services, serving approximately 3,000 clients annually
- Advocacy for the preservation of affordable housing, open space, environmental health and social justice
- A total investment value of approximately $451,215,000 in Melrose
Now, with intergenerational changes in leadership and the demographic shifts in our larger community—we build on legacy and use this to demonstrate how much further we can go when we know our history and feel empowered to change our future even when things seem out of reach..
Eight years ago, Nos Quedamos was in dire straits and most counted us out. In its darkest hour, I was asked to lead Nos Quedamos, while the decision was not an easy one to make, understanding to a degree, the personal sacrifice and sweat equity that would be required of me.
I felt it was my obligation as someone who grew up in this community, who fought alongside Yolanda for environmental justice to do whatever I could to safeguard and rebuild—- determined to reach our full potential against all odds..
Yolanda once said—“We Stay” is not only our name, it is our mission. This is true in more ways than one.
It’s important to say…this mission is not won alone…our success is the result of the unwavering commitment, hard work and dedication of the Nos Quedamos team (past and present).
I would like to take this opportunity to briefly give a special recognition to our Board who stepped up. Anna Vincenty who I respect, is my mentor and true link to the integrity of the past.
Ely/Awilda who stood with me from the beginning when there was no funding for two years. And yet we still worked to keep the doors open and continued to provide social services to the community. To Eddie and Lydia our dynamic communications and development duo, Rafa, our community advocate/organizer, Ilaine, social services, Antonio and Susie our facilities support team. Of course, Ana and Anthony who are no longer with us, but their contribution is valued.
Partners/Advisors—Petr and Jeremy Stand Last, but not least, my family who support me. Thank you!
Today, we celebrate Yolanda García, we celebrate Melrose and we celebrate the rebirth of Nos Quedamos!!
This park represents one of many small victories for Nos Quedamos and our community. It was our intent to shine the light on our collective resilience!
While the physical regeneration of our communities have improved, a lot of the issues that plague our community 25 years ago are still present.
This is a great time to reflect and engage the community to stand again with us and lead on issues that demand community leadership (preservation of affordable housing and displacement pressures, top-down land use decisions that are encroaching Melrose (from the Jerome Rezoning to the Southern Blvd. Rezoning) and defining what community ownership means to us, to name a few.
It is imperative for our community (both old and new) to understand and appreciate what community power and local victories look like when we are bold and tenacious.
To be heard, respected and valued. Yolanda and Nos Quedamos symbolized this.. then and now!
Nos Quedamos is and will always be about the impacted community standing up, speaking out and defining what is sustainable growth for our community.
We stayed, We engaged, We empower, We transform!
NQ Environmental Studies
Nos Quedamos, with technical assistance from Hester Street (HST) and support from the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation (MOER) and the NYC Community Land Initiative (NYCCLT), studied the area of Melrose Commons through the lens of a CLT model. This report is the culmination of that work and outlines the mission and development principles for the recently created South Bronx Land and Community Resource Trust (SBxLCRT). It also considers opportunities for creating vital housing, energy, and communication infrastructure in Melrose Commons. Download (PDF).
Community gardens in Melrose Commons have the potential to create a coalition in order to become a cohesive system of open spaces that serve for community building and organizing. Melrose Commons is a low income, minority neighborhood that encompasses 35 blocks, located in the South Bronx. There are 12 community gardens within the Melrose Commons area and 9 gardens adjacent to the neighborhood. Download (PDF).
