Cecil/io Brooks, Jr.

I love to see good people shine, and Tía Ysabel has been one of the gems in my life who brings light where it needs to go without an agenda. Although my right hand is rusty 🫣 I had an amazing time seeing her work her magic on a corner desperate for attention. I remember and still miss the family shopping trips to Pathmark years ago. 125th & Lexington has become synonymous with the center of blight and incompetence across the city....so it is with great gratitude that I shout-out Carey and the others at Uptown Grand Central doing their part to revive our hood!

📸: The incredible with a bunch of swag and energy to keep us afloat!!

Don't ask why I'm not using the straw...another small biz tour in the books with a bar crawl thru El Barrio. My nightcap at Bar Goyana took me back to our Super Saturday in mid-July with just the right amount of sunshine to beat the weather! Props to all the friends & neighbors I saw for drinks, stories, or project ideas. I'm just about always down! Now for more of the same at Union Settlement's hip-hop celebration TONIGHT (see my story for more info)!

On while many of us students are hustling thru Spring Break and applications, there will always be an opportunity to encourage the youth in your life with resources and reassurance. During a recent discussion with Neighborhood Advisory Board #1 leaders Ms. Ivy Brown and Lorenzo, we had the pleasure of investigating how we can set our schools up for success this spring and summer. We need funded, fun, and forward-looking programs that can fill in voids outside the classroom. Thank you to the BronxWorks Advisory Board and our youth advocates (i.e. , , , , , etc.)!! 🤓🙅🏿‍♂️🎊

Throwing a shout-out to during Garifuna Heritage Month ahead of the one-year anniversary of his book launch (Pan Garifuna Afro-Latino Power of Pride)! This engaging read paints a chronology of the Garifuna quest for influence through a memoir. It is always great to celebrate the wins and transitions of our community figures -- and across our diasporas, Black/Brown folks are still not recognized for our literary achievements. Here we are at none other than with State Senator Luis Sepúlveda among other mainstays in our Honduran community 🛖🇭🇳🪶

Your boy couldn't get through Lent without visiting his stomping grounds at Immaculate Conception. Catholic school was a journey that set me up for the right path, and I'm grateful that I was able to take it up just a few blocks from home. More than 10 years later, my teachers (like Sister Francis here) are reminding me that the church still stands as a center for community service and local organizing. Happy Holy Season to all my students & alumni who still find ways to reflect outside of the classroom 💒🙏🏾🕊

Well into Garifuna Heritage Month, I recently had the pleasure of discussing civics with The Bronx's Honduran community. Together with accomplished diplomats and homegrown talent, we covered everything from 311 calls to state agencies to the electoral cycle. Central Americans have built a presence in this country since the 1930s, so a wave of representation in the center of our diaspora is long overdue. We are hopeful for the first elected by 2030 (within a century of our story beginning) . I am grateful to my family and role models for coming out this spring and every season. Seremein! 🛖🇭🇳🪶

Shalom/Salaam fom the Holy Scripture of Lenapehoking to the cradle of belief...we keep the faith!! My prayer keeps me grounded as the expression of my soul, the weapon that resurrects, and a practice of philosophy. While I knew very little about Jewish identity, the convergence of familiar bells and landmarks from EVERY major religion showed me that I was more at home than I knew. I am blessed (and privileged) to walk this land amidst an ongoing Crusade -- and I thank all the souls who kept my eyes open to the power of faith. 💒🙏🏾🕊

Yeah, I'm that student asking the last question before dismissal 🤓 Still processing how a pilgrimage to the Holy Land should shape me...but I took every opportunity to push on all the conversations that need our attention. This includes militarism and the fight against terrorism abroad. I learned a lot from the professors about safety concerns that overlap the United States & Israel. While we should always question reckless wartime spending (and our role in aggravating conflict), there is no place for unchecked violence -- especially along religious lines. Looking forward to continuing the conversation back home so that we can keep ourselves safe and foster peace. 🪖🕊🫒

Next-gen troublemakers in the Boogie Down! Although I haven't been around for most happenings, I'm grateful for the folks I met through public service in The Bronx who keep me feeling like I never left home. I love BYD's conversations around policies like gun control with complex, and at times hilarious, dialogues. Sending appreciation for all the Young Dems around the city who keep me in the loop for civic life! You can't take the hood out of the man, and neither can you take the man out of the hood! 🎉🙅🏿‍♂️🎊

Shown Here: The Boys in Blue repping El Barrio as best as they can for Governor Hochul alongside our seniors. Always a great time with my big brothers who are showing us how it's done at community centers across the neighborhood. Most of the work happens outside of election season and below the national races, so please consider reaching out to a local church or club near you for ideas on getting involved this year. As they say, "Show love, it's the Uptown Way."

Ahead of Lent & Mardi Gras, here's a blessed FBF to Día de los Mu***os (Day of the Dead at my local CUNY! Just as many of us celebrate life this time around, we can also appreciate its relationship with our ancestors and past. I couldn't sit still while watching & hearing the Calpulli Dance Company channel traditional tunes through the next generation of storytellers. Hostos has always been a hub for local entrepreneurs and cultural preservation (just like every single CUNY campus), which is why we need to appreciate New York City's public education for what it is: a first-class gateway to the world. Here's to a blessed Holy Season with enough reflection to outlast us 🩰🕺🏿🎵💃

TBT to a queen's send-off with my friends in Manhattan. Yuh-Line has changed the face of downtown leadership in more ways than one, and she was always supportive of other next-gen leaders looking into public service. Although we didn't had the pleasure of working together too often in government, I learned a lot from her and thank her for putting me onto the National Urban Fellows program. So I loved hearing reflections from local advocates about her small businesses advocacy, environmental activism, and AAPI organizing among other efforts. Here's to new adventures and homegrown talent 🎉🗽🙌