The Ramon Jimenez Educational Forum Inspires the Bronx

The Ramon Jimenez Memorial Education Forum that took place today in the Bronx was an incredibly moving and important event. Huge credit to Aixa Rodriguez and Aldo Perez for all their hard work in putting it together. Brilliant author presentations, incredibly moving tributes to Ramon Jimenez, lots of networking, great food, discussion of the important issues facing the people of the Bronx. I came away from the Forum with lots of new contacts, ideas for projects, plans for an oral history interview with the remarkable Assemblyman Jose Rivera, and a renewed and deepened appreciation for Ramon Jimenez. His daughters remarks, which ended the formal presentations moved me to tears. "We had a real hero in the South Bronx" she told the crowd after providing us with a revealing account of Ramon's final three years, including stories many of us didn't know. She was right. Ramon WAS a hero. And his example with continue to inspire us as we take on the challenges of a time when immigrants are in the crosshairs of ruthless politicians, gentrification looms as a serious threat to some Bronx neighborhoods, and our public schools continue to deny Bronx students access to sports the arts and so many other things which would make them connect more to their school experience. We will continue to fight. Ramon Jimenez wouldn't have it any other way