To whom it may concern,
My name is Fran Luck; I have lived on the Lower East Side for over 50 years and have been an activist against the gentrification and the erasure of our truly unique neighborhood – which is how I met Howard Brandstein, who was/is also a fighter in this struggle. I currently produce and host a weekly radio program on WBAI, a radio station dedicated to social justice. I am also a member of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA} project run by the Sixth Street Community Center.
I have seen first-hand the evolution of the Sixth Street Community Center, as it has taken on so many local important issues – from stopping evictions (The Anti Displacement Project} to environmental justice, to feeding people during a hurricane and a pandemic, to educating neighborhood children (day camp every summer} to fighting City Hall when necessary.
Most importantly, I have seen first-hand the daily struggle of Howard as the Center’s Executive Director, to keep it all together and the Center solvent in the face of gentrification and rising costs. This work has involved reaching out to countless individuals, groups, grantmaking institutions, banks – and more – and daily doing the often frustrating and detailed work involved (and succeeding! Howard recently procured a low-interest loan for the Center that will keep it going for a long time}.
Through it all, Howard has maintained his warm connection with the people of the neighborhood. Because of his daily presence at the Center and his availability to those who come through its doors (which could not be done “remotely”), he has been the “glue” that holds together the community and the sense of community that has grown up around the Center. Howard has also organized many events that have drawn in people in the neighborhood and beyond and added to support for the Sixth Street Center.
For all these reasons and more, I consider Howard Brandstein to be one of the most dedicated public servants I have ever known — a true treasure on our local scene and a person whose efforts (and. successes!) should be accorded the greatest respect at all times.
Sincerely,
Fran Luck
Executive Producer, Resistance: Multicultural Feminist Radio@ WBAI