This column, from the weekly opinion piece MATTER OF FACT, first appeared on BrooklynReporter.com, the Home Reporter and Spectator dated August 7, 2020
It often seems that all of the local news we see in our corner of Brooklyn is negative. Especially while living through a now months-long pandemic that has affected all of us in some way, good news stories have been hard to come by.
Last weekend, Southern Brooklynites joined together on consecutive days to honor essential workers with “United in Thanks” marches that were held in Bay Ridge on Saturday, August 1 and in Marine Park on Sunday, August 2.
From hospital workers to those who stock the shelves of our local grocery stores, all essential workers were recognized during these events. In the wake of other recent local marches that were intended to be divisive, it was encouraging to see events the entire community could come together around.
Sen. Andrew Gounardes organized the marches, but these were in no way campaign rallies. There was no talk of politics, no stump speeches, no policy proposals. They were simply inclusive opportunities for members of our neighborhoods to gather safely to show their gratitude for the workers who have continued to show up throughout this pandemic and have helped us all continue on through this new reality.
Among the speakers at the 69th Street Pier terminus of the Saturday march in Bay Ridge was Dr. John Marshall, who is the Chair of Emergency Medicine at Maimonides Hospital. Dr. Marshall thanked all essential workers, “not just the people in the hospital, but everybody out on the streets, everybody keeping our communities vibrant, thriving, healthy.”
Vice president of the FDNY EMS Officers Union, Lieutenant Anthony Almojera, who works out of the Sunset Park Station house that serves most of Southwestern Brooklyn, delivered remarks as well. Almojera reminded the assembled crowd of what the city has been through, relating that in a two-month span he had encountered more cardiac arrests related to COVID-19 than he had seen in the previous ten years of his career, but he reminded everyone that the FDNY EMS “are still here, tired and a bit wary, but when you call, we will still come.”
“Our best hope to weather this storm is to not submit to those who are focused on creating opportunities to divide us and who then relish in the rancor they create among us.”
The following day, in Marine Park, it was a similar scene. As Sen. Gounardes aptly described it, “We took a moment just to show our appreciation as a community, united together.”
That day’s “United In Thanks” march saw community members join together for a lap around the park’s nearly mile-long oval. At the procession’s conclusion, a vigil was held at the Carmine Carro Community Center in remembrance of those we have lost to COVID-19 and to honor the essential workers who have never stopped doing their jobs these past five months.
The weekend’s events showed what our communities can be. How we can come together and rally behind what unites us and makes us stronger. How there are issues that transcend partisan politics and weave a common thread throughout all of us.
As with 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy, most often it is only after we have endured our most difficult challenges that we recognize what we all share in common and are able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Again, during this unprecedented trial, we have faced extremely difficult days, but it has been the dedication of fellow community members that has allowed us to get through it.
The fact is, this challenging time is unique, as we do not know how long it will last. Our best hope to weather this storm is to not submit to those who are focused on creating opportunities to divide us and who then relish in the rancor they create among us.
One of the best ways we can all honor our essential workers is to continue to follow the recommended guidelines, day in and day out, and do our part to prevent our communities from becoming the dangerous work environments that they were just a few short months ago. We owe it to those who have given so much to us, to make sure we all remain diligent and do our best to now keep them safe.
