Press Conference: Woodlawn Cemetery, 233rd St. & Webster Avenue @ 4:30 p.m.
On July 16th 2010 at 4:30 at the Woodlawn Cemetery (233rd Street and Webster Ave. in the Bronx), a large group of South Bronx Community organizations will announce a Borough wide campaign to pressure the cemeteries Board of Directors to cease the discriminatory treatment of many of its Black and Latino employees.
The campaign has already generated 10,000 signatures from New York residents. Speaking for the group, Pastor Lydia Lebron stated “By the end of the summer we expect to have 25,000 signatures all calling for an end to these discriminatory practices”.
The group alleges that there is a foreman who normally uses the “N word”, the “S word” and uses racial taunts such as “spear chucker”. They state that those who complain are isolated, harassed, given the most difficult jobs or unjustly disciplined. There are no minority supervisors at the Woodlawn Cemetery, nor are there many minorities in skilled positions.
Speaking for the South Bronx Community Congress, Maxi Rivera stated “We are not going to allow our people to be treated as if this was Mississippi in the 40’s”. In a Cemetery where great Civil Rights leaders are buried, we cannot accept such practices.
Along with numerous organizations from the South Bronx, Gubernatorial Candidate, Honorable City Councilman Charles Barron will be present.
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