Bronx lawmakers defend bill to recognize Little Yemen as cultural district amid pushback from Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance

The community board had drafted a letter of support for the bills, which was slated for discussion at a Sept. 3 committee meeting. The bills have already passed both houses of the state Legislature and are awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.

The proposed letter of support came under fire from members of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance, who circulated a petition opposing the legislation. The group’s concerns center broadly on what they say was a lack of community engagement before the bills passed, as well as their belief that the Yemeni community in Van Nest has not contributed enough culturally to the neighborhood to warrant the state designation.

While Little Yemen has existed on Google Maps for several years, the legislation would officially designate portions of the community where Yemeni businesses are concentrated.

Members of the group, as well as some non-members, voiced those concerns at the Sept. 3 meeting, setting the stage for Friday’s full board meeting, despite the letter of support being tabled for a future meeting.

Lawmakers defend legislation

Fernandez, who is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill, attended Friday’s meeting to address concerns over the legislation but ultimately stood by it, pointing to the contributions of the many cultural groups that have shaped the Van Nest community.

“The intention behind this bill is to bring support and opportunity, the same way we’ve done to the many institutions and groups over the many years,” Fernandez said. “I’ve seen firsthand the contribution of Yemeni families, small businesses, faith leaders, and community organizations that have made this area their home and strengthened the economic and cultural life of the Bronx.”

“The intention was never to cause anger, hate, or pit people against each other.”

Assemblymember John Zaccaro arrived at the meeting toward the end to defend the bill.

“I was extremely disappointed at some of what we’ve heard throughout this process. There were legitimate questions and concerns, and those deserve to be heard,” Zaccaro said. 

“When legitimate disagreement crosses into falsehood about what this legislation actually does, or the rhetoric that targets an entire community, that is where we need to draw a line. Disagreement is part of democracy, but bigotry and intolerance is not.”

Zaccaro said he met with members of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance for an hour during the summer, followed by a 30-minute meeting to discuss specific concerns with senior members of the group.

The Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance maintains that it was sidelined during the legislative process and expected more discussion with community stakeholders.

The Bronx Times asked Zaccaro whether he would be open to further discussions with the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance. He said his office had already made efforts to meet with the group and indicated that he did not see a need for another formal meeting at this stage.

“We had tried to get a meeting set. There were terms that they wanted our office to meet, and what we provided them wasn’t deemed sufficient,” he said.

“That doesn’t mean that we still are not willing to take questions or concerns and hear from individuals. But at this point in the legislative process, after over a year and a half or four iterations of this bill, I’m confident in what we have.”

Dispute over funding

At Friday’s meeting, the room filled to capacity, bringing several community members out to testify. The Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance distributed buttons reading “I heart Van Nest” and another featuring an X through “A7033D,” the Assembly bill number. The group also distributed pamphlets on Van Nest from the Historic Districts Council.

Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance President Bernadette Ferrara said she believes the cultural district designation is a ploy intended to help Yemeni leaders secure funding for the completion of the Bronx Muslim Center’s mosque, which would also include a community center and weekend school.

The Bronx Muslim Center has received congressional funding through the office of Rep. Ritchie Torres.

“It’s interesting how you can word something to make it look like everyone will benefit, but the greater Van Nest will not,” Ferrara said.

The cultural district designation could make organizations in the district eligible for certain grants through the New York State Council on the Arts. The funding would not be restricted to Yemeni organizations, and Fernandez clarified that any organization could apply for the grants.

Despite the opposition, some community members also spoke in support of the legislation.

“When city funding and grants come in, they pay for better sidewalks. Those improvements benefit every single person who lives in shops in Van Nest,” said Azhak Alhudis, vice president of the Little Yemen Neighborhood Council.

“I want to say this clearly: we are not your enemies; we are your neighbors. The vision won’t help Van Nest grow, but working together will. Funding will be shared fairly with the entire community. We aren’t here to divide Van Nest. We are here to support it, protect it, and make it better for everybody.”

Debate over Islamophobia

While members of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance have maintained that their opposition is not rooted in prejudice, some board members questioned that position during Friday’s meeting.

Board member Ryan Barthel asked Ferrara about her personal Facebook posts about Islam, reading aloud lines from a video posted to her page.

“‘Islam is not a religion. Islam is a civilization with its own oppressive political system that has rules for every moment of a Muslim’s daily life. And these rules, that law is Sharia. You cannot have Sharia law and constitutional law in the same civilization,’” Barthel read aloud from Ferrara’s posts.

“Now, if I follow the path that’s laid out by that video’s direction, they seem to be saying that Muslims are fundamentally incompatible with our society, and that’s a view I vehemently disagree with,” he told Ferrara.

Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance Vice President Sharlene Jackson Mendez, who is African American and identifies herself as a descendant of enslaved people, questioned whether the presence of Yemeni-owned businesses alone constitutes a cultural contribution. She held posters listing the contributions of El Barrio and the Harlem Renaissance District.

“Culture is not just because you own a lot of smoke shops, hookah stores, and restaurants. That doesn’t mean you deserve the honor of having a cultural district,” Mendez said. 

The district, which would be bounded by White Plains Road, Rhinelander Ave, Van Nest Ave, and Bronxdale Ave, contains several Yemeni-owned business including restaurants, cafes, dessert shops, clothing stores and a perfumery. The Bronx Muslim Center and Yemeni American Community Center would also fall in the district’s boundaries.

Ahead of Yemeni American Day on Sept. 26, Senator Gustavo Rivera, whose district covers portions of Van Nest, issued a statement in response to the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance’s backlash.

“Our Yemeni community has grown and enriched our borough with its culture, entrepreneurship, faith, and deep commitment to making The Bronx a better place for all of us. Yet our neighbors are facing racist attacks, targeting, and blatant Islamophobia,” Sen. Rivera said.

“We must be unequivocal: there is no place for hate in our streets. Everyone who remembers takes pride in the heritage of their ancestors who immigrated here might remember that those immigrants also experienced the challenges of being a newcomer to our City. We must reject attempts to divide our communities, scapegoat our neighbors, or discriminate based on ethnicity or religion.”

The Little Yemen cultural district discussion took up a majority of the public gallery portion of Friday’s meeting. The board tabled its discussion on the letter of support for a future meeting, but approved a separate letter condemning a viral Islamophobic video filmed outside the Bronx Muslim Center. The motion passed, with several abstentions.

Community Board 11 Chair Cynthia Rodriguez, who did not comment specifically on the bill, shared her own families’ experiences as immigrants in relation to the comments made against the bills.

“As somebody whose mother struggled in this country to try to make a life for me and a living for our family, I personally — this is my own personal feeling — have difficulty denying others when they come and walk the same paths that my family walked in this nation,” Rodriguez said.