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Uptown Voices

Uptown Voices

Written by: Uptown Voices in collaboration with Livin' Americana LLC and Uptown Collective LLC
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 Uptown Voices tells the stories of unsung heroes who are transforming New York City's Uptown neighborhoods from Washington Heights to Inwood to Harlem to the South Bronx. Each episode profiles an individual or organization making a positive difference. These social entrepreneurs, artists, and community leaders are navigating critical issues of affordability, public safety, and mental health. Through conversations rooted in journalistic integrity and genuine community ties, this podcast challenges negative narratives and celebrates the true spirit of the vibrant neighborhoods thriving north of Central Park. Each episode features extended interviews in which subjects tell their stories in their own words. The series examines the interconnected challenges facing Uptown communities—gentrification pressures, resource scarcity, systemic inequities—while simultaneously showcasing the creativity and collective power emerging in response. While uplifting the people shaping Uptown’s future, the podcast holds local elected officials accountable for the promises they make. During this pivotal time, Uptown Voices is creating a unique audiovisual archive. Uptown Voices is a fiscally sponsored project of the Maysles Documentary Center. Make a tax-deductible contribution to our program here: https://bit.ly/4eddiWT2025 Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Dyckman Fire, Class War & Uptown Power: Holding Bad Landlords Accountable | Black & Blanco / Uptown Voices

    Dyckman Fire, Class War & Uptown Power: Holding Bad Landlords Accountable | Black & Blanco / Uptown Voices
    May 13 2026
    In this episode of Black & Blanco / Uptown Voices, Led Black and Octavio Blanco open on Mother's Day with love for the mothers who hold it all together — then get into the real issues facing uptown.The Dyckman Street fire weighs heavy on this episode. Three lives lost, over 100 residents displaced, and a landlord — Jack Bick of Jan Jan Realty — who was already on the Public Advocate's list of the 100 worst landlords with over 1,000 fire and safety violations across his properties. Led and Octavio don't mince words: negligence this severe isn't just a housing violation, it's a matter of life and death. They play a clip of Council Member Carmen de la Rosa, who was on the ground within hours of the fire, and share resources for how listeners can still help displaced neighbors.From there, the conversation expands into the class warfare playing out across New York City and the country — from the Mamdani pied-à-terre tax and Ken Griffin's $238 million penthouse, to Trump's billion-dollar White House ballroom while SNAP benefits and Medicaid are being gutted. Led and Octavio connect the dots between predatory landlords, billionaire tax avoidance, and the slow displacement of the people who built and sustain this city.They also cover the rent guidelines board's upcoming public hearings — where a rent freeze is still on the table — and encourage listeners to make their voices heard before the June votes.On a brighter note: the Washington Heights Chamber of Commerce Policy Breakfast was a hit, with hundreds in attendance at the Armory. Uptown Voices celebrates becoming a fiscally sponsored project of the Maysles Documentary Center. And Octavio gives a glowing review of the New York Philharmonic and Rubén Blades bringing salsa and symphony together at United Palace. Plus: Knicks playoff talk, bodega electricity bills, and why you should be buying your coffee at Boonie, not Starbucks.In this episode:Remembering the victims of the Dyckman Street fire and how to helpLandlord accountability: Jan Jan Realty and the city's responseThe Mamdani pied-à-terre tax and the billionaire backlashTrump's billion-dollar ballroom vs. cuts to Medicaid and SNAPNYC Rent Guidelines Board hearings — how to participateWashington Heights Chamber of Commerce Policy Breakfast recapRubén Blades + NY Philharmonic at United PalaceKnicks playoff feverHow to help displaced Dyckman fire residents:NMIC — 45 Wadsworth Avenue (call first)Holy Trinity Church (call first)Community Board 12 — 530 West 166th St, 212-568-8500Assemblymember Manny De Los Santos — 210 Sherman Ave, Suite A&CCongressman Adriano Espaillat — 720 West 181st St, 212-497-5959Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal — 431 West 125th St, 212-531-1609Council Member Carmen de la Rosa — 618 West 177th St, 917-521-2616State Senator Robert Jackson — 5030 Broadway, Suite 701, 212-544-0173Rent Guidelines Board public hearings: rentguidelinesboard.cityofnewyork.us Hearing dates: June 4, June 8, June 11, June 16Subscribe to Uptown Voices / Uptown Collective on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@uptowncollective?si=XIBtEAFy9VEo9ei4Support Uptown Voices — a fiscally sponsored project of the Maysles Documentary Center. Your contribution is tax-deductible: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/CJ5HJSZ2JF97S00:00 — Happy Mother's Day: Shoutouts & Love for the Mothers03:00 — Dyckman Street Fire: Lives Lost & Community Response06:10 — Carmen de la Rosa Clip: Leadership on the Ground09:00 — How to Help: Donation Sites & Resources for Displaced Residents13:50 — Led Speaks: The Reality of Being Displaced15:30 — Landlord Accountability: Jan Jan Realty & 1,000 Violations18:00 — HPD & the Mayor's Response to Unsafe Housing19:40 — Washington Heights Chamber of Commerce Policy Breakfast Recap21:30 — Jackie Aleman Clip: Chamber Leadership & 501c3 Restoration24:00 — Small Business Struggles: Rent, Electricity & Tight Margins27:10 — Uptown Voices Anniversary: Live Recording at the Hispanic Society30:00 — The Sorolla Gallery & Hidden Gems of Washington Heights33:00 — Buy Local: Skip Starbucks, Support Boonie33:30 — Support Uptown Voices: YouTube & Tax-Deductible Donations37:00 — Class War: Mamdani, Ken Griffin & the Pied-à-Terre Tax40:00 — The Billionaire Exodus Myth: Who's Really Leaving New York44:20 — Trump's Billion-Dollar White House Ballroom48:45 — The Met Gala, Wealth & People Power52:25 — NYC Rent Guidelines Board: How to Make Your Voice Heard56:00 — Knicks Playoff Talk: Sweep Season & Joel Embiid's Flopping1:00:40 — Rubén Blades & the NY Philharmonic at United Palace1:03:00 — Closing: Spread Love, It's the Uptown Way
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • From the South Bronx to the White House: Ambassador Julissa Reynoso on Diplomacy, Community & Resilience

    From the South Bronx to the White House: Ambassador Julissa Reynoso on Diplomacy, Community & Resilience
    May 5 2026
    Former U.S. Ambassador to Spain and White House Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden, Julissa Reynoso, shares how growing up in the South Bronx and Washington Heights shaped a trailblazing career in law, diplomacy, and now — playwriting.What does it take to go from a seven-year-old immigrant arriving in the South Bronx to serving as U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Chief of Staff to the First Lady of the United States? For Julissa Reynoso, the answer lies in the streets of New York City, a relentless commitment to community, and the belief that government can — and must — be a force for good.In this landmark episode of Uptown Voices, hosts Octavio Blanco and Led Black sit down with Ambassador Reynoso for a wide-ranging conversation that takes us from Dominican Republic to the halls of the Obama and Biden White Houses. We explore how advocating for immigrant rights at the Northern Manhattan Immigrant Rights Coalition shaped her legal and diplomatic instincts, how the diversity of New York City became her first classroom in international relations, and why she chose to tell her high-stakes diplomatic story through the unexpected medium of theater.Ambassador Reynoso opens up about her play Public Charge, which chronicles her experiences during the Obama administration — including navigating the 2010 Haiti earthquake response and the secret negotiations that helped reestablish U.S.-Cuba ties. She also speaks candidly about the current political climate, the targeting of immigrant communities, the prospect of military action against Cuba, and the timeless advice she offers to young people of color who find themselves as the only one in the room.This is an essential listen for anyone who believes that where you come from doesn't limit where you can go.⏱ TIMECODE CHAPTERS00:00 Cold Open — Ambassador Reynoso on the immigrant community and the responsibility we share00:58 Welcome & Show Milestones — Host Octavio Blanco announces 500-subscriber goal and fiscal sponsorship by Maysles Documentary Center03:05 Introducing Ambassador Julissa Reynoso — From Dominican Republic to Washington Heights — a daughter of uptown03:55 From the Heights to the Heights of Diplomacy — Led Black asks: How does a girl from DR rise to the pinnacle of leadership?05:27 Growing Up in the South Bronx — Arriving in New York City in 1982 — the neighborhood that shaped a worldview06:15 Washington Heights & Columbia Law School — Moving uptown, building community roots, and discovering foreign policy07:17 Advocating for Immigrant Rights at NMCIR — How frontline legal work for neighbors fueled a life of public service09:01 From Diplomat to Playwright — The story behind Public Charge and why theater was the right vehicle11:54 Why Theater Over a Memoir? — The power of live performance and the transformation of storytelling on stage13:05 Street Smarts & Secret Diplomacy — How New York City life prepared her for high-stakes international negotiations15:11 Government as a Force for Good — Can we still believe in public service? Staying optimistic under the Trump administration16:00 The Immigrant Community Today — Profiling, targeting, and discrimination — and the collective responsibility to do better17:07 Cuba at the Brink — The Senate's blocked war powers resolution and what military escalation means for the Caribbean19:45 Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden — Living through COVID-19 and January 6th — and what she gained from the East Wing21:05 Advice for Young People of Color — On imposter syndrome, humility, relationships, and showing up in rooms where you're the only one23:21 Closing & Final Words — Gratitude, encouragement, and a call to subscribe and support Uptown Voices📋 FULL SHOW NOTESAbout Ambassador Julissa ReynosoJulissa Reynoso is a Dominican-American lawyer, diplomat, and now playwright who has served at the highest levels of the U.S. government. Born in the Dominican Republic, she immigrated to the United States at age seven, settling first in the South Bronx before later moving to Washington Heights when she attended Columbia Law School.Her career spans community legal advocacy, presidential appointments, and international diplomacy. She served as U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay during the Obama administration, and was later appointed U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra by President Biden — one of the most significant diplomatic postings in the Western world. Before that posting, she served as Chief of Staff to First Lady Dr. Jill Biden during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American history, encompassing the COVID-19 pandemic and the January 6th Capitol attack.Her play, Public Charge, draws on her firsthand experience navigating U.S. foreign policy during the Obama years, including the U.S. response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the groundbreaking secret negotiations that led to the ...
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    25 mins
  • She Let Her Customers Run Her Coffee Shop — And It Went Viral | Sarina Prabasi of Buunni Coffee

    She Let Her Customers Run Her Coffee Shop — And It Went Viral | Sarina Prabasi of Buunni Coffee
    Apr 28 2026

    Sarina Prabasi co-founded Buunni Coffee in Washington Heights with her husband Elias in 2012 after moving from Ethiopia with two contacts, no business network, and a vision of what a neighborhood coffee shop could be. Thirteen years later, Buunni is one of upper Manhattan's most beloved community institutions — and Sarina is one of its most compelling voices.

    In this episode of Uptown Voices, hosts Octavio Blanco and Led Black sit down with Sarina to trace the full arc of the Buunni story: from roasting coffee in their kitchen and delivering bags door to door, to opening the Bronx's first specialty coffee roastery in Hunts Point, to landing their newest location inside Columbia University Medical Center. Along the way, Sarina reflects on what the Ethiopian coffee ceremony taught her about community, why she left a career in international development to plant roots in upper Manhattan, and how Buunni survived the pandemic without laying off a single employee.


    Sarina also opens up about writing her book The Coffee House Resistance — and why she's not sure she'd feel free enough to write it today. She talks candidly about navigating economic instability, tariffs, and the political climate as a small business owner who refuses to be neutral. And she shares the story of Melody — the Buunni regular who famously organized customers to babysit the café for a day so the entire staff could go to the beach.


    This is a conversation about coffee, yes — but really it's about what it means to build something that belongs to a neighborhood.


    ❤️ Support Hyperlocal Media Uptown Voices is a fiscally sponsored project of the Maysles Documentary Center. Your tax-deductible contribution helps us keep telling the stories that matter in upper Manhattan. Donate here: https://bit.ly/4eddiWT


    Find Buunni Coffee at buunnicoffee.com and on Instagram at @BuunniCoffee. Their new location opens May 4th at 701 West 168th Street in NYC.
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    1 hr and 1 min
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