Brighton Jubilee to return Aug. 29
Celebration of Brighton Beach’s immigrant roots continues after off-year
BY JESSICA PARKS
A Brighton Beach tradition
marking the neighborhood’s
long history as an immigrant
community will return next
month against all odds, as
those who have been putting
it on for the past 45 years were
unsure of its fate this year due
to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s the 44th annual Jubilee
and it’s been a hard nut
to crack,” said Pat Singer,
founder of the Brighton Jubilee
and executive director of
the Brighton Neighborhood
Association, “but we are putting
it together very quickly
because we didn’t know if we
could do it.”
Singer fi rst organized the
Brighton Jubilee in 1977 to
show the strength of her community
in spite of its reported
deterioration and rising crime
at the time.
“We wanted to do something
that summer to send a
message that Brighton, while
we were getting so many negative
stories, that we were alive
and well,” Singer said.
Now, the annual event has
transformed into a celebration
of what makes Brighton Beach
unique — its rich cultural fabric
cultivated by immigrants,
mainly coming from the former
New York’s ‘Leaders of Labor’
to be celebrated in September
COURIER L 22 IFE, JULY 30-AUG. 5, 2021
Soviet Union, Pakistan
and Spanish-speaking countries,
who brought their customs
with them.
“It’s important to pull us all
together,” Singer told Brooklyn
Paper. “The mosaic is cracked
because around every ethnic
neighborhood is separation
and I want to remind everyone
we are all here as Americans
to all work together.”
Starting at 10 am on Sunday,
Aug. 29, Brighton Beach
Avenue will be home to an
array of stages, featuring
cultural performances and
Brooklyn-based bands from
Corbin Place to Coney Island
Avenue, and turning south toward
the beach. Local radio
stations like 95.5 FM K-Love
Radio and Radio Freedom FM
104.7 will also take part in the
afternoon’s entertainment as
bargain dealers and food purveyors
line the thoroughfare.
Attendees can also stop by
informational booths hosted
by city agencies and local
nonprofi ts. And for those who
are still unvaccinated, a NYC
Health and Hospitals mobile
vaccination truck will be on
hand to administer the lifesaving
jab at the street festival.
“We have been spearheading
a fi ght to get people to vaccinate
themselves,” Singer
said. “I have it and my family
all have it because I had
COVID and it’s no joke.”
The Jubilee typically
draws thousands of people
to the predominantly Russian
enclave and serves as the
Brighton Neighborhood Association’s
main fundraising
event, which Singer said is
especially crucial as they are
facing some fi nancial hardship
after forgoing last year’s
event. Making matters worse,
the group saw a grant expire
amid the pandemic.
“We made it through but it’s
been a rough time,” she said,
“so we are hoping to also make
this fi nancially successful to
have a little money there.”
“Brighton Jubilee” Brighton
Beach Avenue between
Corbin Place and Coney Island
Avenue Sunday, August 29 10
am – 6pm. Free.
Crowds and bargain dealers are known to fi ll the streets for the Brighton Jubilee. Photo courtesy of Pat Singer
The most powerful advocates for New York’s workers will be honored in a
special way during the “Leaders of Labor” event hosted by Schneps Media this
September.
Sponsored by NSPC Brain & Spine Surgery, the celebration honoring
members of the labor community and the organizations that support them will be
held in person and virtually on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, at Terrace on the Park in
Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Schneps Media is currently accepting nominations from the public for
special honorees at the event. “Leaders of Labor” is a way to recognize the most
influential individuals supporting some of the hardest working men and women in
our city.
Their leadership has never been more important, as union essential workers
helped keep the city running during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when
most of the Five Boroughs shut down and stayed home as the deadly virus
raged.
The event will pay homage to union presidents, business managers and
union board members whose stewardship has served to improve the lives and
livelihoods of the men and women they represent.
Prominent leaders in the health care, political, education, transit, law
enforcement, emergency services, construction, building management and legal
communities who work closely with organized labor in New York will also be
honored at the “Leaders of Labor” event.
Past events have brought together these leaders with some of the most
influential elected officials in the city, such as Brooklyn Borough President and
current mayoral candidate Eric Adams, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.,
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Queens District Attorney Melinda
Katz, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, state Senator Diane Savino and more.
In addition to being recognized at the “Leaders of Labor” event, the honorees
will receive a trophy and an entry in the event journal. They’ll also have the
opportunity to connect with other leaders and tell their stories during the special
VIP hour immediately preceding the event.
Schneps Media, powered by amNewYork Metro, the Queens Courier, the
Brooklyn Courier, the Bronx Times and the Long Island Press, is looking to our
community for nominations of those deserving acknowledgement for their
dedication and commitment. Please email your nominations to
DMattone@SchnepsMedia.com or call 917-272-4213.
link
link
