Podcast Summary: "Your Neighborhood Gems"

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: Matt Katz (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: George Bodarky, Head of WNYC's Community Partnerships Desk
Date: February 27, 2024

Episode Overview

This episode of "All Of It" shines a spotlight on New York City's local culture and community life by celebrating “neighborhood gems”—the places, stories, and unsung heroes that weave the city’s social fabric. Host Matt Katz interviews George Bodarky about projects from WNYC’s Community Partnerships Desk, exploring how community stories are collected and shared—from laundromats to bookstores, community gardens to cafes. The episode focuses on how these spaces foster connection, pride, and identity amid the diversity that defines NYC.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Role of WNYC’s Community Partnerships Desk

[02:24–03:56]

• The desk is dedicated to building relationships and understanding the needs of NYC's diverse communities.
• Projects involve storytelling initiatives in public spaces, aiming to amplify neighborhood voices.
• George Bodarky: “We strive to amplify voices within our neighborhoods... People who just feel so much love for their neighborhoods and the people and the places in their neighborhoods.”

2. "Suds and Civics": Civic Engagement in Laundromats

[02:53–06:08]

• Bodarky describes launching a series of conversations in laundromats about the upcoming 2024 election.
• Laundromats are chosen as naturally social places where people have time and are open to dialogue.
• Example: A man in Astoria who had never voted shares his perspective with a woman from Bangladesh who votes consistently, sparking a meaningful exchange.
• George Bodarky: “Why not turn the laundromat into a place of civic dialogue?... It’s been really fantastic.”

3. Food Memoir Series: Connecting Through Food Stories

[06:47–10:10]

• Project collects family food memories as a lens into personal and cultural identity.
• Food bonds people and evokes powerful, shared memories.
• George visited people in their homes and kitchens for these intimate interviews.
• George Bodarky: “Food helps us to have lasting memories. Food brings us so much comfort.”
• Memorable segment with Lisa Wade (Queens), who shares a story about learning grits and salmon cakes from her great-grandmother, who deliberately withheld the recipe to encourage Lisa’s education.
  Lisa Wade at [08:17]:

  “She was particular about not sharing the recipe with me because she was a cook and she wanted me to get an education and she did not want me to cook in someone else's kitchen for a living... So it's like a double edged sword for me because I don't have a recipe, so I just have to remember enough to make it.”

4. Partnering with the Queens Memory Project

[09:34–10:10]

• Collaborating to preserve community memories and recipes, including making community cookbooks.

5. Black-Owned Bookstores as Community Hubs

[10:10–14:09]

• In honor of Black History Month, Bodarky highlights NYC’s Black-owned bookstores as vital, historic community spaces.
• The first Black-owned bookstore in the U.S. was established in Manhattan in 1834 by David Ruggles.
• Story of Grandma’s Place in Harlem: Dawn Harris Martine turned a vacant building into a literacy center, then bookstore for the community.
• Dawn Harris Martine at [11:26]:

  “I opened Grandma's place in 1999... I said, it needed a literacy center to teach parents and children to read.”

• These bookstores focus on ensuring Black and Brown children see themselves represented in literature.
• George Bodarky: “It's so important for all of these bookstores to make sure that people see themselves in books... You can see a kid walking into any one of these stores and saying, wow, I could be president, I could be astronaut.”

6. Community Gardens: Reclaiming Urban Spaces

[15:31–16:44]

• Bodarky shares stories of residents transforming vacant lots into gardens, like Mike Young in Mott Haven inspired by his daughter and an elderly neighbor.
• Mike Young at [15:31]:

  “I would love to have a backyard for the family... My daughter said, daddy, you can make that a backyard. I'm like, that's a lot of work. And at that time, it was old car parts here, old refrigerator parts... until one day I saw a cute little old lady... She was trying to prune the trees. I said, oh, my goodness.”

7. LGBTQ Elders and the Power of Storytelling

[18:03–19:18]

• During Pride Month, Bodarky interviewed older LGBTQ New Yorkers.
• Memorable moment: Donna Sue Johnson, a “big, black, beautiful, bohemian, bougie, Buddhist, butch lesbian,” sharing her story of self-acceptance.
• Donna Sue Johnson at [18:36]:

  “What a magnificent epiphany of blissful pleasures to be able to understand and embrace who I am as a black lesbian who is aging with grace, aging in place, and aging intelligently.”

8. Listener Calls: Sharing Neighborhood Gems

[19:37–29:11]

• Listeners call in with their own neighborhood gems:
  • Artbox Cafe, Harlem ([19:37]): Community café with LGBTQ and cultural history, originally Gumby Book Studio.
  • The Free Black Women’s Library, Bed-Stuy ([22:32]): A space devoted to books by Black women, fostering community, free events.
  • Worldsboro Bookstore, Jackson Heights ([24:32]): New bookstore and event space serving students and families.
  • Lazy Llama Cafe, East Village ([27:22]): Became a hub of social connection during the pandemic, helping neighbors support each other.
    • Jack at [27:22]:

      “For the first time having lived here for 40 years, I became aware of my neighbors... Suddenly, we were meeting for coffee and social connection. And it’s become so important to the community in terms of supporting each other, shared conversations, health issues.”

9. Why Highlight Everyday People?

[25:22–26:31]

• Bodarky: The focus is on everyday people because “these are the voices that make this city tick.”
• Emphasizes that so-called “ordinary” stories carry unexpected power and connection.
• George Bodarky: “I often say ordinary people. I don't know what that means. Right. We're all extraordinary in our own right. But extraordinary stories, and sometimes even what we don't think are extraordinary stories can really impact somebody else because it makes you feel inspired.”

10. Impact and Listener Feedback

[26:31–27:03]

• Sharing and hearing these stories resonates deeply with individuals; creates appreciation and connection.

Memorable Quotes

• George Bodarky [03:24]:
  “We just launched a project called Suds and Civics... We’re spending time in laundromats... to find out what people want to know about the upcoming 2024 election and what issues they want to see the candidates address.”

• Lisa Wade [08:17]:
  "I just have to remember enough to make it."

• Dawn Harris Martine [11:26]:
  “I opened Grandma's place in 1999. There was a vacant building right next door to my house, and I did not want a laundromat or restaurant in there... it needed a literacy center...”

• Donna Sue Johnson [18:36]:
  “What a magnificent epiphany of blissful pleasures to be able to understand and embrace who I am as a black lesbian who is aging with grace... aging intelligently. Not all of my cohorts are able to do so.”

• Mike Young [15:31]:
  "Daddy, you can make that a backyard."

• Listener Jack [27:22]:
  “For the first time having lived here for 40 years, I became aware of my neighbors... we were meeting for coffee and social connection.”

Notable Timestamps

• [02:24] – Overview of Community Partnerships Desk
• [02:53] – "Suds and Civics" project in laundromats
• [06:47] – Food memoirs project begins
• [08:17] – Lisa Wade's food memory
• [10:19] – Focus on Black-owned bookstores
• [11:26] – Dawn Harris Martine shares Grandma's Place origin story
• [15:31] – Mike Young’s community garden story
• [18:36] – Donna Sue Johnson’s LGBTQ elder story
• [19:37] – Listener Sue recommends Artbox Cafe
• [22:32] – Zakiya calls in about Free Black Women’s Library
• [24:32] – Worldsboro Bookstore mentioned
• [27:22] – Listener Jack talks about the Lazy Llama Cafe

Tone and Style

• Conversation is warm, inclusive, and celebratory of ordinary New Yorkers and their unique stories.
• The episode values nostalgia, local pride, and curiosity about the overlooked details of city life.
• There’s a journalistic but empathetic approach to amplifying underrepresented voices.

Conclusion

“As we build a community around ALL OF IT, we know that every guest and listener has an opinion... our varied perspectives and diversity of experience is what makes New York City great.”
This episode demonstrates the richness of New York’s neighborhoods, the importance of shared spaces, and the power of everyday stories to connect and inspire. Listeners are invited to participate, reflect, and celebrate their own neighborhood gems.

Next Up:
George Bodarky will continue collecting stories about neighborhood gems throughout March—listeners are encouraged to call in and share their stories.