Inside Fordham University’s Rose Hill Gymnasium, the ‘Bronx First’ event, the Metro Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) founding assembly, was held on Feb. 5. Over 1,872 New York City community members gathered in order to introduce a new initiative in support of Bronx residents.
Bronx First is a new effort launched by the Metro IAF in order to champion initiatives that address issues such as affordability, safety, housing, mental health and quality of education in the Bronx. The Metro IAF is part of the largest collections of mosques, churches, synagogues, non-profits and other groups that collaborate to launch similar efforts to those of Bronx First in the United States.
This event featured key speakers who championed the initiative and recounted their experiences with Metro IAF. One of the key points multiple speakers addressed was the absence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was invited because much of his early campaigning focused on prioritizing the needs of Bronx residents…