To whom it may concern:
I am writing this letter of recommendation to express my admiration and respect for Howard Brandstein and the work he has done over the years for the Sixth Street Community Center. The Sixth Street Community Center would simply be unimaginable without Howard.
To introduce myself I have known Howard for about 25 years. I have been an active participant in New York City literary activities and activist work for about 30 years, ever since I moved to the city. Howard and the Sixth Street Community Center have consistently provided a home for a range of activities, including literary, musical and other types of performances, as well as for activist events, enriching the community. I personally have been a participant in several events over the years and have attended countless others. All these are in addition to the range of regular activities that regularly assist the community in terms of food and so many other necessary areas of life.
None of this would be possible without the work of Howard and, until her untimely passing, Annette Averette, who created the Center and nourished its growth. Without Howard Brandstein, Sixth Street Community Center would not exist. It’s as simple and basic as that.
Howard has worked tirelessly for decades on behalf of the Lower East Side community and remains a force for good in the community. I have seen his extraordinary dedication to the Center, the Lower East Side community, the constituents of both the Center and community, to the family of Annette, and to the general betterment of the world. In the quarter-century that I have known him, Howard has always had a positive attitude, not only in his consistent warm, friendly and professional relations with those who interact at the Center but in conceptualizing and implementing the many beneficial projects the Center has undertaken over the years.
It would be very difficult, perhaps impossible, to imagine someone else who could fill the roles of Howard as well as put in the time, effort, planning and organizational flair that he puts into his work as executive director. So many of us in the community have benefited from the work of Howard; the Lower East Side would be a lesser place without having the Sixth Street Community Center. A community anchor of this magnitude doesn’t just happen nor does it function on its own. Quite the contrary, the Center is a vital community anchor precisely because of the work of Howard and his extraordinary dedication to the Center and the community at large.
I join the Lower East Side community in saluting Howard’s decades of work and service. Without Howard’s work and service, there would be no Sixth Street Community Center, and we can’t afford to lose the Center and the services it provides under Howard’s leadership. To conclude on a personal note, I have been honored to have been Howard’s friend for the past quarter-century. Besides his work around the Center, he is also a kind and warm person who does not hesitate to lend a hand to those undergoing difficult times. Our community is better for having Howard among us.
Pete Dolack
Activist, Trade Justice New York Metro
Activist with several other organizations, including the No Spray Coalition and New York Workers Against Fascism
Director and lead organizer, the Alternative New Year’s Day Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza Labor and economists columnist, CounterPunch
Author of two political science/history books and more than 300 articles published in at least 40 outlets
Frequent radio guest on several syndicated programs, including Pacifica Radio