Ernest Lalongo is all set to run at the New York City marathon on Nov. 1 as part of Team New Destiny to raise awareness for domestic violence and its impact on education.
Lalongo has been a professor of history at Hostos Community College in the Bronx for 18 years and at least once a semester, works with a student who faces domestic violence. He highlights the ways in which it affects a student’s education.
“The education, at many times just stops when these folks are fleeing their homes,” Lalongo said. “The other scenario is they can’t leave their homes, and they’re stuck, and they are desperately trying to keep up with their work, but their home environment is simply unsafe.”
These experiences have changed how he approaches teaching. Rather than assuming a student’s academic performance reflects their effort and interest, he considers other circumstances that may affect their work.
Lalongo said connecting students with support is a part of that responsibility. He refers students to the college’s counseling center, and highlights CUNY CARES as another resource.
He also emphasized that domestic violence goes beyond visible signs.
“I think one has to raise awareness consistently,” Lalongo said. “The broad range of domestic violence, the abuse that victims suffer, everything from control over immigration status and financial status, in addition to physical violence. It’s a broad range, and it’s not just a person who shows up in the classroom with bruises on their face.”
One in every three women and one in every six men have been impacted by Intimate Partner violence, according to Child Protection Global Network (CPGN). According to a report by the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, the Bronx has the highest domestic violence rates in all the five boroughs.
“One of the things in particular in the Bronx, unfortunately, is that it consistently records the highest domestic violence, homicide rates in New York City from 2025 to 2024, there were 173 domestic violence homicides, which is about 28% of the total during that time period,” said Gabriela Sandoval Requena, vice president of External Affairs at New Destiny.
This year, he is running alongside his wife, Nicole Branca, CEO of New Destiny Housing. The nonprofit, founded in 1994, provides affordable and safe housing and resources to survivors of domestic violence. This year marks the third consecutive year they have been selected as a charity partner. Its 11 runners make up its largest team yet.
Lalongo said team members bring different connections to the cause. Some have experienced domestic violence themselves, while others know a survivor or want to support the organization’s work.
“They all come in with their own levels of interest and attachment,” Lalongo said. “But then we all sort of converge, we’re here to raise awareness. We’re doing it through new destiny housing and we’re doing it as part of the marathon.”
For Requena, the marathon offers an opportunity to draw attention to both the long lasting challenges survivors face and the housing programs that can help them rebuild their lives.
“We realized pretty early on that especially in a city like New York, you cannot really build your way out of a crisis like this because supply is never going to meet the demand,” Requena said.
Requena said the team’s participation connects public awareness with the organization’s focus on housing and healing. Sharing survivors’ experiences, she said, also means recognizing their resilience and the possibility of moving forward.
“It’s not just the reality of what the crisis is, but also to share that there is the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.
