How are people on social media from the Bronx showcasing their home borough? Here’s what six context creators told the Bronx Times.
Kenia Valerio
Valerio has been posting about life in New York City for a long time, but after the passing of a friend who always encouraged her to showcase more than just Manhattan, she began taking content creation in the Bronx more seriously.
“The other part of it was also my community. I feel like there’s so many things going around me and happening, and we always see the same type of influencers around the city and I wanted to just make a little difference in that area too,” Valerio said.
Valerio wants her content to remain a positive space to uplift the community, and usually tries to find the good in any experience she posts about. She thinks people, due to a lack of information, are unaware about all the things to enjoy in the Bronx and wishes to change that.
“I used to think that in order for me to have fun, I needed to step out of my community and go downtown or go anywhere in the city for me to find something good. Then when I started to actually do my research and look around me, I saw all these fun things,” Valerio said.
Posting about her community has inspired Valerio to launch her own business; PressedInTheBX sells handmade magnets, some of which are inspired by the Bronx.
Dondre Green
When Green started photography in 2016, he found himself to be one of many photographers shooting in Manhattan, but found that not nearly as many were taking the Bronx so he made that his focus.
“I wanted to shed light on my borough and tell a story that no one else was doing with the vision I had,” he said.
Green’s mother, a huge supporter of his work, passed away from cancer in a Montefiore hospital; later, he was able to work on an exhibition with Montefiore aimed at uplifting cancer patients.
“That was definitely a significant moment in my photography career where it really made me know I’m doing something definitely important and that my work is actually beautiful,” Green said.
Currently, he is doing his best to explore new types of editing and adapt to the rising demand for video skills from photographers. But ultimately, he doesn’t want his work to become too complex.
“I find myself reverting back to the beginning stages of my photography career, where you could learn a million things but keeping it simple is always the best choice,” said Green.
Christina Marie
Marie started content creation as just a hobby, but when she realized that she was leaving a real impact on the businesses she was working with, she realized it was more than just a hobby, but a way to contribute.
Recalling a video she did about Coach Tee’s $7 all-women workout class, “When I first started going to that workout class there were maybe 5 to 7 girls in there. When I posted the video, within the next week it was completely sold out, and it’s been sold out ever since.”
Marie recognizes that Coach Tee had the platform and groundwork necessary, but just needed some amplification. Marie appreciates the opportunity to amplify organizations and people in the Bronx; not just to help them out, but to show her audience how much the Bronx has to offer.
“I think supporting small businesses prevents gentrification from happening. I think when we shop local and put our money back into our community, that makes it stronger,” said Marie, who recalls getting a lot of negative comments about gentrification and is interested in seeing deeper community discussions about what that truly means for the Bronx.
Marie finds that her most successful videos are ones that she loves to do: getting to talk directly with a business owner.
“The ones where I’m able to sit down with the owner or meet the owner, talk to them about why they started, what motivates them and what keeps them going,” Marie said.
Amaurys Grullon
Back in 2015, Bronx Native started as a passion project between Grullon and his sister. They both noticed the overwhelming amount of positive merchandise representing places like Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Harlem, but none for their home borough.
“My whole life I heard negative things about my home, negative stereotypes, stigmas, and all these things but I firmly believe the Bronx is the most beautiful place on earth … I knew I needed to do something to change the narrative and really showcase the Bronx for what it is,” Grullon said.
He says that from the beginning, beyond just merchandise, Bronx Native has also sought to host and uplift events and culture in the Bronx, showing people that you don’t always have to leave the borough to have fun or find community.
“Walking down the street of my neighborhood just brings me so much bliss and so much joy. The fact that I know the mailman, the fact I know the bodega owner, you know what I mean? The fact that I know my local business owners. It’s just a beautiful thing to feel in community and to feel loved and to feel seen,” Grullon said.
Recently, Bronx Native began working with Mayor Mamdani’s administration as one of their media teams in the Bronx; an experience that Grullon has thus far found very amazing. But one of his favorite things about the Bronx, and the Bronx Native is the hustle mentality.
“No one’s gonna stop us. We’re gonna make it. We going to get these W’s and and no matter what, we’re going to do it up,” Grullon said.
Danny Serene
Though he’s known for posting brief comedic skits, Serene loves to post about the Bronx’s enriching history, sharing that knowledge and pride with people who may not be familiar with certain aspects of the borough’s past.
Even as New York changes, he loves how much tangible history remains in the Bronx, and says it remains the most genuine borough.
“The Bronx still has a lot of abandoned history, so when you’re really outside in nature, you’re gonna see that there’s still leftover remains from the 1920s, the 1960s, the 1940s. You really just have to look,” Serene said.
He finds his most memorable content to be that which highlights the locations that Bronx residents grew up with but are now no longer, due to the constant changes in the community.
“The biggest misconception is that you’re supposed to post negative stuff about the borough when actually it’s filled with culture, creativity, diversity and history.”
He says Bronx creators, like himself, are working hard to help soften the negative stigma while simultaneously sharing humor and positivity.
Shumaya Islam
Despite living in the Bronx for almost 20 years, Islam has only recently begun prioritizing the Bronx in her content.
“[The] Bronx has a lot of culture and diversity. There’s a lot of people coming in, now more than ever I think. Even sixteen years back, we had less people. Now I think we have more people from different cultures- different religions also,” Islam said.
She describes the joy she feels sharing certain experiences and locations in the Bronx with her followers, who are often unaware of all the Bronx has come to offer, especially with recent developments.
“I should do that too— People should focus on more from [the] Bronx because [the] Bronx is not talked about. Since a lot of other things are also going on, we have everything now, okay?”
She believes that all content creators in the Bronx now have less of an excuse than ever to not highlight their local community.
“We don’t need to go back to Manhattan or Queens to get some stuff that the Bronx already has,” Islam said.
