In the 1970’s, the New York City’s financial troubles caused several schools to close including P.S. 90. In 2008, the neglected public school was upgraded to a resident of 75 condominiums.
“What is it that people want to keep and value in Harlem. **is this a question? remember a question mark You cant avoid change, lets make a change in a way that we’re all a part of it,” said local Harlem resident Thessy Mett.
Mett, recently moved to Harlem in March and started a organization in May called the “Jumbo Harlem Meet&Greet.” Jumbo is Swahili for “Hello” and the organization helps residents come together to experience the spirit of Harlem. As Mett explained to AmNews, “there aren’t as places for people to meet and greet and plan activities for the neighborhood besides Starbucks and other franchises.”
So on July 28th, Mett held a potluck crepe event at the P.S. 90 condos garden. The event was a chance for the new condo and existing residence to become associates rather than strangers. With 82 attendees, professional chefs, Manuel and Ruby Cabrera were able to cook various foods people brought to represent their culture such as Hungarian, Guyana, Malaysian, Germany, Peru and down south.
To go along with the tasty food from all over the world, a young woman by the name of Marsha Thompson, graced everyone with a her rendition of “Summer Time.”
“This is a nice way of coming together and getting a chance to know your neighbors. I want to give these kind of projects a chance for people to meet, it doesn’t always have to be about work,” said Mett.
The Jumbo Harlem meet and greet, convenes every few days to plan the next social change event for the community and welcomes everyone to be evolved in Harlem and what it has to offer. The Jumbo Harlem meet and greet can be joined at www.meetup.com.
