I Am the Bronx
10 videos • 1,912 views • by CityLore I AM THE BRONX Directed by Elena Martínez and Bobby Sanabria The “I Am the Bronx” project responds to “ghetto tours” that brought people to the Bronx to just see negative aspects of the borough. Here we introduce some of the remarkable people who make up the fabric of the Bronx. In the summer of 2013, a tour operator out of midtown was promoting a tour of the Bronx, marketing it as a “ghetto tour.” The tour guides brought people on tour buses through areas of the Bronx and pointed out places like methadone clinics and a park where “one could be mugged.” When they did point out a positive place, such as the Grand Concourse—which is known as the “Champs de Elysees of the Bronx” because of its wide boulevard and art deco architecture—the tour guide snarkily commented to European tourists that it wasn’t as nice as the one in Paris. Bobby Sanabria and I, who are current residents of the City’s northernmost borough, were very angry about this stereotypical marketing of our home. We were born here, have family here, live here and work here. We know many people who work hard, raise families and are extremely talented and artistic, who also call the Bronx their home. So to the tour operators of the “ghetto tours,” we say to you: “I Am the Bronx.” For their support thank you to: City Lore Documentary Institute, http://www.citylore.org WHEDco/BMHC, http://www.whedco.org/Bronx-Music-Her... Casita Maria, http://www.Casitamaria.org Dancing in the Streets, http://www.dancinginthestreets.org For the project name thank you to: Mainland Media, http://www.mainlandmedia.net Digital Content Managers: Elizabeth A. Burbach Gallardo, Ethan Oberman and Maxine Worthy Videographers: Ian Cooley and Ariana Allensworth