Avenues for Justice
100 Centre Street, Room 1541
New York, NY 10013
info@avenuesforjustice.org
©Copyright 2022 Avenues for Justice. All rights reserved.
Before Avenues for Justice (AFJ) had a name, it had a home.
In the 1970s, Puerto Rican families, along with other Hispanic residents, helped shape the Lower East Side into a community with an identity all its own: Loisaida. Popularized by Puerto Rican poet and activist Bimbo Rivas, the name became a symbol of creativity, resilience, and pride.
That spirit still shapes AFJ today. One way we put healing into action is by celebrating the cultures that make our communities so vibrant and remembering that joy and connection are part of the work, too.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re honoring the culture that helped shape our organization and continues to live throughout our staff and Participants. We asked members of the AFJ community to share a few of the sounds and stories that stay with them.
Music has a way of carrying memories, connecting generations and bringing us home. Here are two songs our staff keep coming back to.
"'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom' is just one of those songs that instantly puts me in a good mood. It’s fun, catchy and full of energy, and it always takes me back to summer days spent with family."
Staff Pick: Shantel Brooks, AFJ's Job Developer
"Aventura always takes me back to family parties, summer nights and growing up in New York. They took the Dominican bachata so many of us knew and mixed it with R&B and hip-hop. It sounded new, but it still felt like home."
Staff Pick: Lissette Aybar,
AFJ's Office Manager
Books can help us understand where we come from, see our experiences reflected and discover stories beyond our own. These are three titles our staff recommends.
Did you know AFJ has its very own author? Stephanie’s powerful collection gives voice to the often-unspoken struggles facing Black and Brown communities and honors the everyday heroes who survive them. As Stephanie reminds us, these heroes “walk beside us each and every day.”
Staff Pick: Stephanie Santana, AFJ's Court Advocate
"This book tells the story of Victor Jara, a Chilean singer, songwriter and activist who continued to use his voice and art in the face of oppression during Chile’s military dictatorship. Written by his widow, it is an incredibly inspiring look at his life and legacy, including the spirit behind his beautiful song “El Derecho de Vivir en Paz.”
Staff Pick: Wes Muench, AFJ's Communications & Data Specialist
Our culture also carries history. Here are a few things worth knowing about the communities, movements and traditions that continue to shape AFJ.
44%
of our Court-Involved Participants identify as Hispanic.
38%
of our Staff are Hispanic.
For us, Hispanic Heritage Month is about more than celebrating for a few weeks each year. It is about recognizing the communities that have shaped us, honoring their impact, and continuing to serve and celebrate them while acknowledging the systemic challenges they have long faced.
The Nuyorican Poets Cafe was founded in 1973 and grew into a cultural home for poetry, music, theater, hip-hop and spoken word on New York’s Lower East Side. Its stage has helped generations of artists turn lived experience into art and social expression.
"The Hispanic community has played a fundamental role in shaping New York City's justice system. Through civil rights advocacy, landmark judicial appointments, language access reform, and grassroots alternatives to incarceration, Hispanic trailblazers transformed NYC's legal architecture to make it more equitable and reflective of its diverse populace.
From Felipe Neri Torres—a Fordham Law graduate who in 1963 became the first Puerto Rican Judge of the New York State Family Court to advocate for juvenile rights—to Bronx-native Sonia Sotomayor, who started as a Manhattan Assistant District Attorney before making history as the first Hispanic federal judge in New York State and ultimately the first Latina U.S. Supreme Court Justice, these pioneers paved the way for a more inclusive legal system."
Reflection By: Liz Frederick, AFJ's Executive Director
"As a Hispanic, fulfilling the American dream is a journey of immense pride, built on a path paved by giants like Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos, Roberto Clemente, and my 95-year-old Great Uncle Harry Fernandez. They instilled in me the 3D’s—Determination, Dedication, and Discipline. When you ground your goals in hard work, the view from the top makes every single ounce of effort worth it."
Reflection By: Ernest Morales, III, AFJ Board Member
Hip-hop emerged from the Bronx in the 1970s, shaped by the creativity and cultural exchange of Black, Caribbean and Latino communities.
That legacy of using art to find your voice continues at AFJ. We recently launched hip-hop therapy led by Elsie, one of our Court Managers, creating another space for Participants to use music, creativity and culture to express themselves.
Stay tuned as we’ll be sharing more from the program soon!
At AFJ, healing in action can take many forms. It can look like standing beside a young person in court, helping them find a job or making sure they have someone they can count on. It can also look like music, storytelling, creativity, laughter and being surrounded by people who make you feel like you belong.
There is still work to do.
But Hispanic Heritage Month is also a reminder to make room for joy, to honor the people and cultures that shaped us, and to celebrate the impact happening in our community every day.
We hope you’ll celebrate with us in person at our upcoming Annual Awards Dinner on October 14th, as we honor the people helping make this work possible and celebrate the Participants at the heart of it all.
