I read this opinion piece by comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, and I’m 100% with him. I understand that a lot of people have left NYC for a lot of reasons, and that many will not be back. That’s okay. I support them in their endeavors elsewhere.
As for me, I’ll be here rebuilding, remaking, and regenerating the place that I will always call home. I love New York and I always will. I’m not going anywhere.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the people most impacted by #HurricaneLaura are Black and Latinx; it should outrage you. It’s not right, and so we have to say something and do something. And not just when the storm is front page news, but for a lifetime. This is a wrong that has to be righted, and I’m going to work hard to right it.
Environmental injustice, made worse by climate change, is one of the many hideous dimensions of racism in this country, and it’s getting worse by the day. That’s why I’m making it a main focus of my research and work. These inequities are systemic, and we have to change them deep within our laws, institutions, and investments. And not just as a storm hits, but long before. We cannot wait for disaster to mitigate it. Then, it’s too late.
If one community suffers, we all suffer. That’s what it means to be a nation— to be in communion with others. The suffering from this storm will be brutal, intense, and extraordinarily unequal. The predictions are dire. Those of us who can give have the responsibility to help others.
My thoughts are with everyone impacted by these storms, and so is my heart, my wallet, my education, my skillset, and my time. And I am especially focused on those who are most vulnerable and will not have the means to recover on their own.
I was planning a little vacation this year, but I’ve decided against it. With the global health and economic situation so dire (and very likely to get much worse in the coming months), it doesn’t feel like the best idea to go on vacation now. And that’s okay. I love my life in NYC, even in these strange times. I’m grateful that I built a life and career that I don’t feel I need a vacation from. There will be years for vacations and travel, and I absolutely do think we have better and brighter days ahead. In 2020, I’m just grateful to be well in every way and I’m dedicated to making every day the best it can be for myself and for others from right where I am in New York.
I also want to note that the New York Department of Health is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases in New York because of travel. If you are traveling to, from, or within New York, whether you’re a resident or a visitor, please, please, please respect our quarantine laws and get tested. I would go a step beyond these laws and say if you have gone anywhere away from your home city in New York, please get tested and quarantine until you have results when you come back to New York. Tests are free and available throughout the state. I don’t want to relive spring 2020 in New York City. Once was enough, thank you. We can protect each other from this virus but we all need to do our part. More information here: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory?fbclid=IwAR0x2N828eg_gd3onwxrx8EkhQ1YryxSHiVnoRJSQOWdYK1V8wLp44hf2fI
Last week the National Park Service turned 104 years old. To celebrate, I went to one of NYC’s least-visited natural wonders— Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
I was so happy to let the salty air fill my lungs and give my eyes a rest from screens by focusing on the vistas of salt marshes with the skyline of Manhattan in the distance. The open water, green space, and animals did my mind, body, and soul a world of good. After just a few hours, I felt as energized as I feel after a week of vacation. . I love thinking about how wild and full of biodiversity all of New York City once was, and how so many efforts are being made to keep parts of it wild. My hope is that these terrible pandemics of health, racism, and an unstable economy will be the massive push we need to make our cities greener for all who live in them. . The area around the Refuge reminded me of beachy towns like you’d find in Cape Cod but it’s accessible by public transit for $5.50 round trip and free to enterq! Just take a Far Rockaway-bound A train to Broad Channel. From there it’s a 15-minute walk or short bus ride.
The Wildlife Refuge was created in the 1950s by NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. It became part of the National Park Service in 1972 when Gateway National Recreation Area was established.
It includes over 12,600 acres of water, salt marshes, freshwater and brackish water ponds, upland fields and woods, and open bay and islands. It is one of the largest bird habitats in the northeastern United States and is a great place to observe the seasonal bird migration as well as resident species. 332 different bird species have been recorded there!
I highly recommend a trip to see this beautiful, peaceful, and truly wild place. May we create many more of them in our city.
This week, 100 years after the 19th Amendment granted the right to vote to women, this gorgeous statue of Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton was unveiled. It’s the first of real women from history in Central Park, and it’s long overdue. The fight continues, and we will not rest until all adults in this country can exercise their right to vote with ease.
This statue was created by artist, Meredith Bergmann. It’s so moving to see in-person that I teared up. These heroines are still very much with us. Another statue of Sojourner Truth was unveiled last week in my hometown of Highland, New York, in the Hudson Valley. I haven’t seen in yet but I look forward to seeing it soon.
On today’s anniversary of the March on Washington, I’m thinking of Congressman John Lewis and the millions of people who fought and continue to fight for justice. We have come a long way in 57 years since that day and we still have such a long way to go. I’m dedicated to being on that path for equality with all of you for as long as it takes to ensure all people everywhere are free.
Congressman Lewis’s books have been such a light for me, especially in the difficult days of 2020. If you’re looking for someone to raise you up, to talk to you about courage, bravery, the power of love to change hearts and minds, freedom, and being a light in so much darkness, these books will do that. When I read them, I can hear his voice and I feel like he’s in conversation with me. He’s still in conversation with all of us, still supporting, encouraging, and inspiring us to be better, to do better, and to make Good Trouble.
Sometimes the monsters surprise you. Earlier this week I had nightmares about doors—ones I couldn’t close, couldn’t open, that kept me contained, and forced me onto paths I didn’t want to take. All week I’ve been thinking about how life is just door after door and we have to keep going. It’s not easy. It’s not comfortable. And it’s absolutely necessary.
One of the causes I’m most passionate about is protecting our wild spaces from development. The news about the potential to sell off drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge this week was very upsetting to me. Thankfully these actions can be stopped through litigation and legislation. That’s why I wrote to my representatives via the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and also made a donation to their Action Fund that will file these lawsuits to stop the destruction of this beautiful wild space. NRDC will send these letters on your behalf to your representatives and it only takes 30 seconds to fill out the form online to make that happen: https://act.nrdc.org/letter/af-arctic-refuge-170925?source=TWOARCPETTKAF
We lose 1 billion birds per year due to collisions with glass windows of buildings. This Fall migration season I’m volunteering with New York City Audubon’s Project Safe Flight to help injured birds get the help they need at Wild Bird Fund.
This week I attended a training with @ColorOfChange to help get out the vote this Fall. I’m excited to be a part of the team. I love their mission to center Black empowerment & joy. I hope you’ll join me to be a part of this important work: https://www.mobilize.us/colorofchangepac/event/300304/
Christa Avampato 