From Sky news this is connections I'm Evan Dawson.

Our connection this hour was made this past Sunday on North Clinton Avenue, with the season opening for the International Plaza.

The event space and marketplace is a hub for all things Latino culture, from music and art, food and beverage.

You can visit every Sunday from 1 to 5 from market days, which are running now through October 12th.

This year's celebrations come during a time when organizers say there is an understandable anxiety and uncertainty among the Latino community due to conversations and events happening at the national level.

But they say there is no better time to celebrate the contributions of the Latino community.

So this hour, we're talking about the upcoming events there.

I suspect a lot of listeners and viewers, if you're watching on our YouTube channel, WXXI news, maybe you haven't been in the International Plaza yet.

We're going to talk about the mission of it and what's going on there with our guest, Jason Barber, International Plaza site manager for Aero American Development Corporation.

Welcome back to the program, Bob.

Thank you for having me.

And for people who hear that you're with the American Development Corporation, you know, here a barrel.

You think one thing.

It's a big umbrella.

You want to explain a little?

It's a very big family.

I mean, we love it.

a barrel American Development Corporation is the development side of of a bear.

We, manage about 225 different, units and apartments, houses, multi-unit buildings.

We're actually building a currently a idcs building, a building over by the old Saint Joseph's.

That building that's going up right there, that's IDC.

and then you have a barrel, which is the action.

That's the the league that runs our child care program.

you know, about our business center, our business incubator program.

So much has happened there.

And then you also have Paul there, which is our radio station, which you know, works with WXXI.

so it's it's a unique kind of connected family that, really is there to, you know, not just have the Latino community, but help the greater community of Rochester.

So we're going to talk about what's happening between now and October 12th.

There's a lot.

Oh, yeah.

There's not even a name, but half the stuff on the calendar.

You got a calendar on the table here.

I've got a longer list right here in front of me.

And you know one thing Jason can't do.

Jason can't speak to every deep political and challenging social issue that's facing it.

I mean, those are conversations we've started to have on this program.

We've had them in part with Mayor Evans, with other leaders.

I know we will continue to do that.

So that's not going to be the focus of this hour.

Let me just ask you in general.

what it feels like in this community now compared to, you know, all your years in the Rochester community?

What does it feel like right now?

You know, I am a son of an immigrant.

My mother is a Cuban American.

I know I have a very white last name.

I was my late father's last name.

He was 100% Rochester.

And.

But one of the core things I've learned growing up Latino is that even though we are, we have experienced struggle.

We have experienced so much within our culture.

Many of us who are Chilean, Argentinian, Mexican, Colombian, you name it, we've all experienced struggle.

And one of the great things that come from our culture is our joy.

We love to be together.

We love to celebrate.

And I think that's something that we want to talk more about.

And during this time is our history in the city.

You know, I've grown up with my my grandfather passed earlier this year.

He was organized a Cuban club with the heads of a barrow.

You know, I've known people within Barrow my whole life.

And before I even started even working for them, I. I joked with Fujino, who is my boss?

Like who?

Who started DC and who's one of the founders?

It seems like I was born to work for this agency because he's known everybody I've ever known in my whole life before I even knew him.

So I think for us, it's important to highlight that history, those stories, those are important and that uncertainty that we feel.

It's not something we about we're not face as a culture before.

You know, we've survived dictatorships and we've survived a lot worse.

You know, you mentioned your last name might throw people a little bit off of your Latino heritage trail.

Never for long if you know Jason, very proud.

Community, community cheerleader and worker in this community.

but what is almost shocking to me in the last couple of weeks has been this conversation in which we've even drifted away from like, well, like if certain things are going to happen.

It's like, no, it doesn't matter if there's due process.

We've had Tom Homan in the city, the director of Ice.

He responded to a question on due process by basically saying, well, you know, some immigrants have killed people and their murder victims didn't get due process.

So there and we're just kind of throwing it away.

You put people on a plane to another country without even really knowing if you got the right person.

And so all of a sudden, you've got some kids who are afraid to go to school and you've got communities feeling like like what do I need to be looking over my shoulder?

That's not the culture.

That's not the climate that anybody wants anywhere.

How do you focus on the joy that we're going to be talking about all hour, when people are feeling also that anxiety that is happening?

The focus in on the joy is, I think, what I, you know, growing up, you know, I have I have my mother who has, you know, survived Castro, survived coming here, you know, and had so much stuff happen.

Her earliest memory for was being dragged out of a out of a out of a closet.

She was hired in by gunpoint.

You know, my fellow was chased throughout the country of Cuba just to come here.

And one of the things I've always experienced when I was a child was when we got together.

Oh, that didn't matter.

It mattered that we were together.

And then we lifted our voices and we danced.

We walk in la lucha.

In the struggle we go through it.

We live through it.

We fight through it.

And that's to me, what it is right now.

These events highlight that, you know, the highlight that we have for their Latinx pride, for the LGBT community to highlight the importance of our LGBT community, which is also under threat at this time.

You know, it's like an act of defiance.

You can say that joy and joy is defiance.

To have to dance, you know, like, there's there's a thing in Puerto Rican culture called the, bomba, and it is a song and a dance to the drum, but it was used as a way to defy the slave owners in the Spanish colonies.

We've always used dance.

We've used our music, we've used our our food, even to defy cultures.

The reason we have tacos was, you know, like what we gave to the American workers.

You know, across the border.

The cultural history of Latinos in America has always been a way of we've been here since before anybody got like.

Like, like after the Native Americans came, the Latinos, you know, we've been here the longest out of like, a culture.

Yes.

There's a lot of horrible history.

I'm not going knowledge, you know, like and but we also have been part of this narrative.

You know, Latinos define every single war since before there was America.

We fought in the French and Indian War, for goodness sakes.

We fund Cubans, funded the American Revolution.

You know, like people don't even talk that there was Cuba.

There was Spanish, like Puerto Rican generals in the Confederacy and in the Union, you know, like Latinos or some of those decorated soldiers during World War one and World War Two out of minorities.

And we we we forget that narrative is there.

So I think to me, it's like when I look at these events, I look and I have so much pride in our events.

I look at like Dominican Day and highlight the importance of Dominican culture has given to Rochester and to America.

Some of the greatest baseball players are Dominican, and I'm saying that as a Cuban, which is really hard for me to say.

There's some great Cuban players, but there's even better Dominican players.

So I think, like, you have to look at this stuff as, as ways that joy is through every aspect of us.

Talking to Jason Barber and I said at the outset, I thought maybe a significant number of people who are going to hear this conversation today have not yet been to International Plaza.

So put it on a map for people.

We'll talk a little bit about the history and what the mission is there.

Yeah.

So the International Plaza is over on North Clinton Ave, right across from Saint Michael's, which is in many ways the, symbol of the Latino community in Rochester.

it's been around for this year will be the fourth year.

It was the brainchild of Ohanian Marin, Miguel Menendez, Jim Farr and many other individuals that I, you know, like within the community to kind of build a place within, an incubator space and also a market space within the North Clinton neighborhood to take over what was what used to be a vacant lot and heroin alley and turn it into a space where the culture of the neighborhood, both black and Latino culture and, you know, can be lifted up where the diversity of our neighborhood is shown and spotlighted, where events, not just Hispanic focus events or Latino focus events, but African-American focus events, you know, can be a, you know, and neighborhood focus events, church events.

We've had it all there, you know, so can be highlighted within the neighborhood.

And you told the Democrat and Chronicle that you've even had police officers say that International Plaza is like an oasis in the neighborhood.

Oh, yeah.

We've even had drug dealers say that like you get as Beatrice.

Yeah, it's.

I'm.

I'm Beatriz Lebrun, with Father Tracy advocacy Center, which is not far away.

Yeah.

And, so I know it means a lot to the neighborhood, going back and reading the history in the neighborhood.

North Clinton was settled by Irish immigrants in the early 1800s.

Initially called Dublin, and then it became known as Upper Falls as Black American and Puerto Rican families arrived in the 1940s, and then by 1970s, entrepreneurs had established grocery stores and delis and barber shops and pharmacies.

And so it it evolves.

And to now what is this really vibrant place for a lot of different parts of Latino culture?

Come to celebrate, come to come to some of these events.

So when you talk to people who have never been or maybe, maybe they used to be a North Clinton, it's been years.

And they come back to International Plaza.

What is it like for them?

you know, it's very I've had that's a good question.

I've actually had my mother's mom, who grew up over in Avenue de come of some of the events and, you know, for her there's a very definitive connection of that neighborhood.

And if you look at old pictures of the North Clinton and where the plaza actually was located, they used to be Rose, the Spanish businesses right across from where Beatrice, where Father Tracy Center is and where those two, parking lots are between Saint Michael's and Father Tracy was.

And there's beautiful pictures.

If you go like a Barry's headquarters, like of that neighborhood of the Spanish laundromats and the Puerto Rican restaurants and bakeries and it's it's almost like for them, it's like, bringing something back from the past that was lost, you know, to have a Mexican and Colombian having, you know, bakery.

Those and pina coladas and empanadas being served there and having these small businesses, you know, highlighted there and having Latinos kind of take ownership again and, you know, the other in shipping containers.

But this is the first step for them to have a brick and mortar eventually.

So to, you know, so it's a very unique, way of bringing back those memories, you know, within the neighborhood.

And you mentioned your mother's first memory of childhood when she was four.

What is your first memory of trying to kind of understand culture and what the neighborhoods were like when you were growing up?

Well, I grew up.

You know, I am a kid of what you would arguably say, the white flight era, you know, the early 90s.

Yeah.

You know, my mother grew up in North Clinton and then moved over to the agitated Maplewood neighborhood.

So I spent my really early years in the Maplewood neighborhood, by Kodak Park.

And, you know, but I also some of my earliest memories were of these two different worlds, you know, my dad's side of the family, the American Italian-American side, or, as I like to call it, the 100% Rochester.

And they've been here for 100 years.

You know, they had a business in Midtown Orange Julius.

So I spent time in Midtown, and then on the Sundays, I would go to a Spanish church and be surrounded by strong, loud Latino women and men, you know, Dominican Hondurans, Guatemalans, you know, who had come here in such unique, different ways.

But they all had these stories.

You know, my pastor as a child was in prison.

You know, everybody I knew either had a story of horror, but yet they had joy on their face.

So I had this two different worlds.

Am I my childhood?

You know, the Rochester side and the Kodak side, Midtown side.

And then the Cuban side, which was, you know, people that served and gave, you know, my grandfather didn't have much money.

You know, it was low income, like a little local empowerment.

But every time I opened the basement of that building that he lived in, and this is a low income apartment building over on Ridgeway, he had beds, mattresses, dishes, silverware, and any refugee, anybody who came to this country, he would go open the door.

What do you need?

And that is something I've seen within a barrel.

Iadc.

And for there, that's the same ethos that all of us, many of us were raised with.

And I think that's something that's continued within our community.

your dad, Italian-American?

Yes.

He was like a barbarian.

Didn't have I, Barbara.

Yeah, that's like a barber.

I think they changed their name because they didn't hire Italians in the 20s.

I asked exactly for that reason then.

I mean, there's so many families with these stories that, like, well, you better change your name.

And what what makes me a little nervous now is all the work that you're describing over the decades to build up this, not only this place with International Plaza, but this community, that feels welcoming, that feels like people have a future.

It, you worry that things could get undone.

You got an administration offering offering people $1,000 to relocate back to countries that were there, and they have roots.

If they just leave and they're offering people like, go, here's a thousand bucks.

Now, you know, Steven Miller's working in the white House talking about this is the thing that he cares about most.

You worry about undoing some of the work of the decade.

You don't think so?

No, I don't think so.

I think our community is strong and I think we will survive through.

And I think I have complete confidence and joy in that.

Listen, let's look at the schedule here.

And by the way, how is this past weekend?

the weather was wasn't the great and terrible?

Yeah, man.

It's like I always yeah, I wish I wish we had about 60 people come, which I wish it was a lot more, but, you know, surprisingly, we had a lot of people come, a lot of young students come because they've seen it on the public market.

Instagram.

So they want to try.

Alex Garcia's, Colombian tamales, which I he hates it, but I love calling them the Colombian garbage.

Garbage plate.

because it's a banana leaf.

like, it's in banana.

It's in a banana leaves, but it's like Hristo or corn dough with a pork chop.

some, hard boiled eggs, some carrots, and sometimes a chicken leg, or, like a chicken.

Chicken.

Like a chicken breast.

Yeah.

It's called.

Omigosh, he hates it because it's, like, stuck.

It's not.

You don't say that.

It's Spanish, but it is a Colombian tamale, and it's amazing.

People come just for that.

And and then we also have, you know, amazing.

We currently gonna have a Venezuelan vendor and Ecuadorian grocery store, which I just spent way too much money with her buying, you know, Colombia, Ecuadorian cheeses and rices and stuff that I'm never going to find anywhere in Rochester.

So.

And, again, if you're just joining us, market day is at the plaza every Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m..

It's actually.

But we're also all our food vendors are open Wednesday through, through Sunday.

So the vendors Wednesday through Sunday, Sunday are events.

we have major market events on every Sunday throughout the past.

Also some Saturday events.

We also should be having food truck events, but we're still working on those dates.

And you've got food vendors representing.

You mentioned Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela.

Yeah, it's a long list.

Yeah, yeah.

It's it's amazing.

And I get to try.

Let's see what I had this weekend.

Alex made me some chili, some blood sausage.

He's such good.

so for people want to mark their calendars and maybe think about coming out here.

I want to kind of walk through some of the, the, the and I'll say bigger events.

I'm, I'm sure every week feels big to you guys, but, let me just kind of go through some of them.

You mentioned Latinx Pride Day.

That's June 1st.

Tell me about that.

So, right now, we're working on this is highlighting, you know, the rainbow revolution kind of a theme that, you know, Trillium has been talking about.

But we are, you know, working on kind of highlighting the, you know, the LGBTQ and trans community within the Latino community.

Also, we specifically love we also highlight the drag the Latino drag community.

This is a very unique way in which, you know, every drag performer is of Latin descent, you know, within within our performances.

And it's also really just a fun event, you know, to have the drag queens come in and you have these young kids that just want to have pictures take with them, and they love it and they're just enjoying the moment.

And I give you any criticism for that.

I haven't seen anything you haven't seen.

Yeah.

No.

Yeah there's there hasn't and I don't we never really experience anything of that.

So okay so that's June 1st Latinx pride Day at the International Plaza.

Yep.

July 12th.

Rock con poder.

Oh, this is going to be amazing.

This is the first time we've done it at the plaza.

So put there usually has a very big concert series.

they've done it usually at Martin Luther King Park every year.

but Victor Antonetti, who I can't stop talking about Victor because I come back to Victor in a little bit, but, rockhopper, there is going to be, at the Plaza, so we're expecting maybe somewhere between 2000 to 5000 people, probably even more, because that's usually how they get.

And they usually bring in large Latin acts, within within Rochester.

And it's going to be the, an event where, you know, it's just it's just going to be a party.

It's going to be a great party.

We're going to close off the block.

We're going to, you know, it's going to be in many ways a block party.

How what's the capacity when you're really busting at the seams there about 4000.

So we're going to leave you 2 to 5000.

It could be more, probably more.

I mean, last year we had close to four for Dominican Day, probably a little under, but, but computer made testing capacity.

we're going to see.

So we will be busing people in from, over from the Tops Plaza, ideally, and from either from school or for, the Martin Luther King School.

So we'll be I ideally bussing people, but it's people come people enjoy it.

Dominican Day was an amazing party last year.

So Dominican Day August 10th.

and if you have never been to the International Plaza, we've been talking about Latinx Pride Day rock compo there, Dominican Day.

Is there a day that because I mean like in a minute we're going to talk about International Salsa Day.

And I'm like, oh, that would be a good day to kind of go check it out.

Oh yeah.

It's a great salsa company.

Is there a day that you go like you really shouldn't miss X?

you know, the I think like for me, the days that you really don't want to miss Rockaway there Dominican day, international salsa day, festival the barrio are going to be just, you know, unique events.

Also, any of the rock, the plaza events where you're going to be hip hop, R&B and soul nights, you know, those are amazing events.

If you want to listen to classic hip hop, Grand Tone and Evan Buckley are kind of been organizing different R&B events throughout, and I'm like, I'm excited about those because I love listening to, like, the the 90s and 2000 and hip hop that I grew up at.

So, it's, that, that I'm excited about.

But, let's see.

yeah, I think also, you know, it's one of the events we didn't talk too much about.

But I also think it's really important is, fest with the barrio that is event that has a long history.

What's the date?

What's the data that that is, it's going to be Sunday, July 20th.

And that's an event I'm working with Beatrice on and with, and Father Ruiz over at the father and at, Saint Michael's, because it is an event that has a long history within the Latino community.

It's an event.

Father Tracy himself started back in the day.

And it's an event that if you ask anybody, you know, baby boomers, older, people, older generation, you say, oh, do you remember this event?

Yes.

This was our community event in North Clinton.

And to kind of bring that back, that bring that talk about that history of that event and the importance that it has to the North Clinton neighborhood and to Latinos within Rochester is something that I've been very prideful of.

I've actually been asking people to send me a photo so I can use it on the promotion.

And, you know, because I want to tell that story, you know, of how this little event really is kind of like the way in which the neighborhood would come together, you know, behind me, you know, the huge steeple of Saint Michael's, Sunday, July 20th, the Festival de barrio.

Yeah.

And, you know, Father Tracy's as a as an advocacy center now, for those who've spent time there.

And you mentioned Beatrice Abram.

I know you guys work with her, and I love her.

I know you've got a lot of regard for for Beatrice and the staff there.

Meghan, Mac and I spent an afternoon there just meeting people and watching them do the work.

And, you know, Jason, you mentioned that, International Plaza before it existed four years ago was an area that had, you know, kind of describe as there was a heroin alley that wasn't it wasn't what it is now.

Drugs are an issue in many neighborhoods in Rochester, not just that one father, Father Tracy Hudson Advocacy Center was it was amazing to me how many people they knew by name and what kind of trust and relationship they had built.

But they also were clear that, like, you know, we still have issues here and we need to keep pushing towards cleaner, healthier streets.

how how is the area now?

How would you describe it in 2025?

I think, you know, just as Beatrice said, it's very similar.

We're it's always a process.

We're all working on the same process.

And I feel like the Plaza is a unique way the, you know, and to be honest, the time I've been there, which has been the last year and a half, I haven't seen anything that, you know, within that neighborhood.

I know it seems like a lot of people within that, within the neighborhood have been very protective of the space and and all of the other vendors and the space.

Yes.

So because it's such a point of pride now, right?

Yeah.

yeah, it is, it really is.

And I think like it's and yes, that is an issue within the street.

but it's also an issue everywhere in Rochester.

Really.

You can't you can't find it.

You can find it on park and you can find it on Monroe.

I like to say like and you can find it on North Clinton.

It's the drug epidemic is.

It's in every single street in Rochester.

No.

It's pretty heartening to hear, though, that there is a sense of taking ownership and pride and and protection of International Plaza, of saying, you know, this is the this is our space, this that's a landmark at exactly.

how did the surrounding neighborhoods feel when you got 3 or 4000 people?

I think, yeah, I think they like it.

They don't mind, a lot of energy.

A lot of energy.

Several.

A lot of energy.

I have not any issues at my time, but, I think, you know, they've many of our neighbors are very active.

actually, our Juneteenth event, Laurie Evans, who's one of the neighbors of the plaza, I'm working with her to kind of get that event started.

we did it last year, and we're doing again this year with her.

So, you know, it's it's building those connections within the neighborhood.

It's also good to know that the neighborhood knows that they're they have a place at the plaza for them.

You know.

And just tell me a little bit more about Salsa Day, August 24th here.

Who's going to be there?

Well, I don't know.

I'm waiting for Alessandra to tell me she's going to be the one.

She's booking some of the events.

But, listen, we every year we do a major competition.

And last year we had Naomi and Orchestra Antonetti to go back with, orchestra Cincinnati is our 55th year of being an orchestra.

And, they're amazing.

Like, I wish they got more recognition.

The idea that they brought Santa Cruz T to de Mark Anthony to Rochester, and nobody's ever given them recognition for that.

And they brought Bad Bunny before Bad Bunny blew up.

Yeah.

No.

Like it's just like, oh.

Where?

Like this.

This should be in the rock.

This should be in the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.

And they're not like, it's kind of, you know, like, it's just the idea that, like Tito Puente, they would come just to perform with Orchestra Antonetti in the 70s and 80s and, and that's like legends of the salsa community.

So I think like to have what Victor is.

And now Victor is the director of put there to highlight the importance of Latin radio, Latin music in our neighborhood.

And his daughter is on Broadway as the number one star of Buena Vista Social Club.

Now, can you are you a good salsa mover?

According to my mother, I did inherit the rhythm.

You did not I. I try, I didn't as that as well, I, I try, I really do try.

I have to dance.

Trust me on the abilities will make me dance at every event.

Like they'll get me up and I got a salsa or merengue.

Watch out there with them.

I yeah, no, but I can handle it.

But I'm not the best at it.

International Salsa Day If you want to learn to boogie with Jason August 24th and we come back for only break, we're going to continue to run down the list of what's going on at International Plaza this year.

Listeners may remember.

I mean, it was probably in the, you know, a couple years before the pandemic that there was a lot of talk about doing this, about creating an international puzzle a la Marquette, coming to North Clinton.

And now it's here and every year they pack the schedule.

So you've got market days at the International Plaza every Sunday afternoon from 1 to 5 through October 12th, although they also have got a Colombian style Christmas in December that we're going to talk about.

Yeah, we'll talk about that.

So we'll talk about that coming up here.

but they also have all kinds of other programing and events on different days and nights.

So just want to make sure that you're aware of something that is happening in this community that brings a lot of energy, great food.

Colombian garbage space.

I shouldn't say that again, but, I mean, it's, it sounds really great.

We have also Venezuelan food soon, and I'm excited for when she opens up in the next week.

That's month or so.

We'll talk more food and a lot more on the other side of this break with Jason Barber at the International Plaza site manager for a barrel, American Development Corporation.

I'm Evan Dawson.

Wednesday on the next connections in our first our deliberative democracy workshops around the country for citizens to want to feel more engaged and more connected to making change, whether in your town or in your country.

We'll talk about how it's happening in different places.

Then in our second hour, seeing more e-bikes everywhere be ridden on an electric bike, we're going to talk about the rise of the era of e-bikes.

Support for your public radio station comes from our members and from Mary Carrie Ola Center, providing education and life skills solutions designed to empower individuals and the families of those with complex disabilities.

Mary Carrie Ola, Center transforming Lives of people with disabilities More at Mary Carrie, ola.org and springboard, a funding competition focused on activities, networking and events that work to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem throughout Western New York.

Applications are due June 10th, 2025.

Details at springboard ny.org.

This is connections I'm Evan Dawson, Jason, Barbara.

Remind people where the International Plaza is.

Marquette is over on the North Clinton neighborhood right before you get to Clifford.

And you'll see it.

Yes, these big blue shipping containers with signs for new generation eats.

And from the meat, meet the Terra, food Mexican Columbia food.

So you'll see that you'll see our entrance.

You see our signs, and you'll see the stage that says that I'm, Yeah.

Give me a little bit more of the taste of the food that you're looking forward to this year.

Oh, my gosh.

You know, I, I'm very proud of with in the Plaza as been, the better business center and incubator.

We have been a place where businesses have been, have flourished in a sense, because we have an amazing, you know, people that, like, really help to help these people to get their their stuff settled.

one of, one of my favorite, you know, we have, Alice Garcia, Alexander Garcia, who is the strongest entrepreneur I've ever met.

And they hustle everybody within these businesses really hustle to kind of make stuff happen.

But the food is the the best part.

You know, for a Demetra who's the focus of man mixing Colombian, he is obsessed with the idea of creating the most authentic Mexican and Colombian food in Rochester.

You know, he wants to make food that is of his culture, you know, and of his wife's culture.

Who's Colombian?

You know, we have, Janet who runs the pas de la ninas, who is focused, you know, on just traditional Puerto Rican fried food, that kind of food that, you know, and like you at a party and at the empanadas and the I couple yours, you know, or that, potato balls, which are like, kind of like potato meatballs.

They have this amazing.

and then, you know, we have, Roxy who's just started, who is really wants to bring Venezuelan food to Rochester, you and highlight the importance of Venezuelan food.

And we have Luce, who just started a little kind of Ecuadorian grocery store.

And I find any little goods that if you eat out like there.

So it's very unique.

And then we also have Yasmeen, who's been there the longest.

She's been here four years.

She's a Romanian.

you know, who as her family has been consistently making businesses happen in Rochester throughout the neighborhood.

Her father, Mike, has done that very well, but she's kind of doing traditional American style food ice cream.

I'll sign up bananas, fried chicken.

But hopefully this year, kind of bring back some of the Romanian dishes and unique sausages and meats.

So we're we're really highlighting that importance of, of the food within it.

And I think that's one of the greatest joys about being at the Plaza, as people just sometimes just come for the food and listen to the music, like that's the set of the cafe.

And last year was a great example of that.

Last year there were times at our events which you had people listening, but we had more people at the cafe area, you know, at the shipping containers, eating.

And I was sitting there with big meals and talking and having fun, and you're watching kids play around and you're watching their family buy, like the Colombian tamales and Mexican tamales, or getting tacos from Alex and, you know, Carlitos, from poverty or from other, you know, so it's just like.

And then having pina coladas or milkshakes or Colombia and, or charters and, you know, like, just just full of different cultural food.

How often is music there?

we try to do it every weekend, a different form of music, even though it's just a deejay playing some music.

If it's like our Father's Day event, which will be, specifically music at a dominoes tournament, which is I love watching that, Burgos stacks as much as that.

and then we also have, you know, our line dance, tournament, which is specifically hip hop line dance and R&B line dance.

and then you have karaoke with DJ by, Portillo, who is an amazing, Latino and Dominican like Dominican artist here in Rochester of his band, Banda Light.

And he's constantly doing unique projects.

He's managing karaoke, which is great to have everybody come up and sing, you know, likes hearing them sing all types of love on songs or, say, a Cruz or Luis Bangle or Marc Anthony songs, and some people doing a great some people doing it horribly.

Yeah.

So I like always very entertaining.

Yeah, it's very entertaining.

so I think it's very unique.

And also right now I'm also working with the RPO to do an event and, in August with Arts in the Plaza having some of the cultural institutions come.

That's something that's been very hard.

I think it for us to kind of get to is to get some of these institutions to leave the center city and come out to North Clinton.

Tell me more about that.

I think, you know, I've been I've been grateful that like, Sir Jason House has really been kind of working to put there and work and building that relationship.

And so has the RPO.

But I think, I think it's just, you know, maybe the bandwidth issue, you know, they just don't have the cultural, you know, the bandwidth to set up a table.

but we've had cultural institutions come up.

But I, it's, it's a very interesting time.

I think, for, you know, as somebody who works within the arts, also as a, as, you know, I work within the arts community here.

I want to see more and I hope to see more within the institution.

Why do you think it's been a struggle at times?

I don't know, maybe it's the narrative.

Maybe it's it's very it's it's hard to kind of, and also sometimes institutions get stuck in kind of tokenism, you know, like, hey, well, can you come do some dances and celebrate with us?

You know, and I'm like, yeah, but that's not our stories.

You know, there's more to our stories.

And I think, I think, I like right now with the doors, Eastman House has been working with us.

I've been working on my side project, which is a film series which I've been on here, connections before, and they've been very active and kind of saying, okay, what?

There's a huge history of Latinos in cinema.

You know, let's let's explore that.

And they've been very grateful for that.

And I've been very loving that.

They've been doing that.

But I want to I kind of I want I'm encouraged and I hope for that more.

The institutions kind of see that there's more narrative within our culture and and there's more stories within our culture to be told.

And it's not just the, you know, the images of us that, as I like to say, we're not just there to dress and costumes and dance for you.

I mean, like, which is great, but you got to pay us to dance for you.

Has the city of Rochester done enough?

I think they have, but, it's I can't really speak to that, so.

Okay.

I mean, certainly the success of International Plaza, the success and the revitalization of that part of our city, yeah, should be important to everybody.

Yeah.

And I think the city has, especially the public market has Jim and Erica and many everybody at the public market have been our greatest cheerleaders.

We love people at the public market and people at the city, you know, because they've been very supportive of the initiatives at the Plaza.

They've been very they've been there for us in many ways.

The city has supported festivals like Jazz Festival.

Yeah.

Many others.

Are they supporting International Plaza in commensurate ways?

I, I think so, but you know, like, I think they are, especially because we're working with the public market, they've been supporting us with us way more like, like so much more.

I love seeing Jim at the Plaza who's he's the director of the public market, and he's there all the time.

He knows all our businesses, all the owners.

He knows all the vendors, he knows the people across the street.

He, you know, and he sometimes stays there longer than he should.

I'm like, aren't you supposed to be over at the public market?

And he's it's like, no, I'm just going to sit here.

He'll put out his chair, you know, get some food, you know, and I think, I think the city has been very supportive of us and many of our initiatives, and we work with the city on a lot of different projects.

project tips is a great example of this.

One is tips.

I believe I may I may be wrong on this, but it's a, you know, it's a program within the police department and different law enforcements that come in.

and, you know, we've, we've done initiatives with them.

I'm trying to believe.

Well, so we we've also worked with different different like, last year I did, women's voice talk, you know, a little rally there.

So we're always open to building, you know, building our relationship with the city.

No, I think you're right that I think putting a just a point on this part of the conversation is what I'm hearing, I think you say is that you want everybody to see you for for everything that the international Plaza in this community can bring, not in a way, that is to use the word you use tokenized.

Yeah.

Not just a hey, you know, we we did our one event or we invest in this one thing or, you know, we we put on one dance thing and isn't that enough here as opposed to this is a part of the fabric of the community, just like our festivals of all kinds, just like our all of our neighborhoods.

One of the things that I've heard for years in political debates in this city is, what does it mean to invest in the neighborhoods, as in there's a lot of talk about downtown.

But do the neighborhoods get the right kind of investment and attention.

And that's not always an easy that's not always an easy conversation.

Because the question is what's the infrastructure.

What can you do.

International Plaza is was a huge dream.

And I am so blessed to be part of here in this dream.

And here it is.

It wouldn't have happened without who who made that happen?

I there's so many people, but I, I look at like, you know, and I can't speak to all the people who've been involved.

The people I know.

Sure.

Yeah.

you know, Miguel Menendez, you know, Jim Farr, Eugenio Marin, Ella Perez, Laurie Evans, Angie, over.

You know, about, like, there's so many people that this has been a dream of even far before I even knew that even existed.

You know, and I think it's it's it's really a unique.

I think those are the people that don't often speak enough of, you know, like, he's going to hate it, but Eugenio is someone I look up to, and he is not just because he is.

He runs ABC, but because he's one of those humble Latinos, very much like my abuelo, very much like my Theo, Cynthia's, and then my own mother.

You know those that don't say what they do, but they've done everything, you know, for their community.

And I think Miguel is like that.

Many other people within the community are so much like that.

And I, we, we could truly them as much as they want.

They but they would hate me and cheerlead it.

They also created this dream and put it into reality to really challenging time in two different ways.

The first is, you know, you're coming off a pandemic, you're open in 2021.

And the second is we are just in the last decade or two, the the advent of screens and digital technology just keeps so many people less, less connected to whether you're going out to a movie at the little theater or you're going out to your coffee shop, we're doing less of that.

As a society.

It's been pretty well documented and studied.

And so you create a place that's a destination that requires people to get out, whether they're walking from the neighborhood or they're coming in on a bus or they're driving in, they're going to bicycle in, they're going to go to International Plaza, and they're going to make an intentional trip.

They're going to listen to music in person.

They're going to eat food.

They're going to walk around and they're going to shop, and they're going to talk to people, and they're going to have a great time.

I think it's a lot of challenging things that have come together to make it even more difficult.

How successful right now?

I mean, do you guys behind the scenes, you have to tell me anything.

Do you want to tell me?

I'm going to try to get out of here.

Behind the scenes.

You go like, well, we're going to need this kind of attendance this year.

This way at last year, this is where we need to be.

How is that going?

you know, I think this year we've we're very surprised.

I think we're encouraged that everything's kind of planned ahead, too.

We're trying to work on, you know, we're we're I've been very surprised at some of the funding, and been grateful for it.

And, honestly, I think, you know, we we don't know the uncertainty, but we also know that people will come, you know, we we're hopeful.

And I think I've been very encouraged that you said, like with social media, social media sometimes is our best friend.

You know, it's not our worst enemy.

And, some people you're recruiting.

Yeah, I think I think, you know, we've been pushing a lot more social media, having pulled their PR behind us.

It's been an amazing blessing to speak to the Latino audience, but also building new connections wise.

I mean, connections in the first place.

You know, to work with WXXI more, to work with different organizations, to say, okay, here is this unique destination.

Here is a space that many ways everyone talked about this is what they want to do.

If parcel five.

But we're doing it in North Clinton.

It's really interesting you say that because in so many ways, that parcel five conversation, it ended up happening in LA marquez.

Yeah, I can't say where we've done what they wanted to do.

You know, we are having successful business.

We're having successful businesses pop up.

We are having, unique, like unique, events.

We're packing the calendar.

But yeah, you know, we're not going to get the same coverage as, you know, parcel five is because it's in the center of the city and it's a vacant lot.

Here's a space that is constantly growing and changing.

You know, like we're building new shade structures.

We're building new we're going to get new containers by the end of the year from more vendors that want to come there.

And I think that needs to be spotlighted, that needed that needs to be highlighted more often.

You know, like I, you know, I love Plaza five, don't get me wrong, but it's empty 99% of this year.

You know, we're still doing stuff in Christmas and our vendors are still open all year round or two front vendors.

Again, we're going to get to that Colombian Christmas.

Say we're going to button up the schedule a couple of emails.

Alex wants to know if it is a secure place for families to attend.

Yes, it is it.

It's we are, especially on Sundays.

What the.

The Rochester city Police department, we have security there.

We're very secure place that and Michael Huffman.

Michael, one of our regulars who has some really good memories there.

He says he hopes that the plaza is successful.

He was a member of Corpus Christi Church that helped the members of Saint Michael's restore their church.

He says it's such a beautiful church.

And he sees over an easement.

Yeah, but he wants to know.

did a guest say that the open air drug market was closed down?

He said Saint Michael's was his grandparents church.

His parents and godparents were married there, and he was baptized there.

So lots of memories for Michael.

I don't know that, I heard Jason say anything about an open air drug.

Mark, I think what you mentioned is before International Plaza, there was you know, like many other neighborhoods, issues with, drug sales, heroin, things like that.

and it doesn't mean that it's completely gone from the area.

Yeah.

But in general, what would you say to Michael about, the situation with drugs and the site there?

I think if you're coming in with that kind of initiative, you're already going to be hyper aware.

But I think, like if you look at like I always say, like if you see, if you go to Father Tracy, you see in these individuals outside there, there are many ways to go through rehab and they're also are ambassadors to the neighborhood.

You know, if I have to have fliers for events, who do you think's going out to reach out to people within the neighborhood?

I can't get to 100 houses.

Yeah.

Know like so I think you have to be, you know, aware of that.

But also I think you also have to look at you have to you can't close off your mind right now with the drug epidemic because I think it's not in just one neighborhood anymore.

We can't say it's on North Clinton, it's on Joseph Ave because it's in Iran, dacoit.

It's in Greece, it's in gates, it's on Park Avenue.

Even you know, so it's like we we can't close our, our eyes to that anymore.

And Michael, I'm glad you have such great memories there.

there's a lot of people who love those spaces.

I can say, having visited recently.

let me get, let me get a phone call from the president of city Council, Miguel Melendez.

Hey, boss.

I said hey, boss.

Hi, Miguel.

Miguel.

Afternoon, everyone.

Hey, what do you what do you make of International Plaza?

Four years in here.

How's it doing?

Well, it's feeling great.

I think that every year we take another step forward.

you know, there's no secret that there's, a lot of opportunity, a lot of challenges in the community.

But the plaza, to me, is a beacon of light for economic development, for community gathering and positive energy in the community.

Do you, do you feel like the city has done what it needs to do to invest and support La market in the way that it needs to, to be able to thrive long term?

Ago?

I do I think there's always opportunity for enhancement.

you know, this year where we're looking to add a couple additional containers on the site.

So we're working through that process now.

but I also feel that, you know, part of this is really growing, internally and organically within the neighborhood.

And what we need to continue to do is find more outside partners.

It can't just be solely dependent on city government.

So we're working on strategies to get more resources to the Plaza, to the vendors, to support them and to grow their businesses.

But what's an example of an outside partner that that you think is a good fit here?

Yeah, I think, you know, we have places like the, the enterprise, center that passed on.

you know, I barrel obviously we have a role within the context of the plaza.

Now, but, business development, support.

Either business center has provided a lot of, technical support and things like loans for purchases of equipment for vendors at the plaza.

so I think the more we can grow, from the business perspective is great, but then also the space is a venue for, for, for all people.

So, you know, there might be organizations that want to host community fairs there, and, and other types of events that are beyond that.

the site is available for rent for those purposes as well.

And, Miguel, before I let you go here, tell me something that you love to go snack on at international class.

Oh, man.

This dangerous, dangerous, question there.

And, so for me, I think that, you know, we have some, some great, Colombian food that's right in the front there on the, on the north.

Quite an avenue streetscape.

I'm a big empanada guy, so there's, there's different types and different people who sell them.

So you can get varying types and try to try to figure out which one is the best one for you.

Also, you love the little breads that they make.

What is it that Alex makes?

I forgot the name of it.

Oh yeah, I couldn't tell you the name it other than it's really good.

Yeah.

You're.

Miguel.

Hey, thanks for the phone call.

I know we got a lot to talk about on other issues.

We'll do that soon.

All right.

Thank you.

Take care.

Miguel Melendez, thank you to Miguel.

And let's see what Annette Ramos loves.

Oh, boy.

There's an that, that my fight in and oh my beautiful people.

Thank you so much for having us, Evan.

And thank you for always highlighting, that our community, rich resources, the international Plaza being one of them, one of my favorite places to go eat, meet people, dance, listen to music and gather in communities.

So that's.

And by the way, my favorite food, the codfish fritters, make.

Not anymore.

Anymore.

And now coffee.

Probably retired.

Oh, no.

She moved to Florida though, so now I'm going to have to go for the empanadas.

And I'm going to choose wisely.

Yes.

And I like that's because we have Venezuela and Puerto Rican, Colombian, Mexican and American style.

and I love that variety of Latino food.

And that's what the plaza does.

It creates a central hub for cultural diversity and inclusion.

And really, the richness of our sanctuary city.

Highlighted literally on the blocks of our city landscape.

Well, and that, hey, I'm down to our last minute.

Oh my goodness gracious, Miguel and Annette Phelan taking us to the finish line here.

Love it.

Thank you for calling in and at here.

and very well.

We'll see you down at the Plaza this year.

Thank you very much.

Absolutely.

That is the absolutely effervescent Annette Ramos.

Yeah.

She's my she's like the color.

She's like she's my titi amazing like my aunts and like not my real art but like you know.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

and so if you're just tuning in late here, market days at the International Plaza have launched and if you haven't been out to the International Plaza on North Clinton, I know they would love to see you this year.

We didn't even get to, oh my gosh, the car show, the Latin American Festival, Colombian style Christmas, December 7th.

So you got 30s.

Jason, take us to the finish line.

What do you want people to know?

Oh, right.

So Miguel kind of highlighted the importance of it.

You know, the plaza is there.

It's a unique space for food culture.

It is a beautiful sanctuary.

An oasis is, in that sense for the city.

And it's also like a unique place to rent, do amazing events, and a unique place to kind of highlight the importance of our beautiful, amazing city.

Thank you for coming in.

Thank you for telling us about it.

Are you online for people to find a schedule?

Yes.

if you go to International Plaza, it's on the city website, so.

And you'll see the schedule all up there.

Have a great season there.

Have fun.

Thank you.

And it's not just Sundays, but every Sunday afternoon I think with one exception in August they've got 1 to 5 those market days.

And then they've got all kinds of events.

Jason Barber joining us from the International Plaza.

And thank you for listening, listeners, thank you for watching.

Viewers on the YouTube channel for Sexy News.

Wherever you're joining us.

Thank you for supporting your public media.

We'll be back with you tomorrow.

At.

This program is a production of WXXI Public Radio.

The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of this station.

Its staff, management, or underwriters.

The broadcast is meant for the private use of our audience.

Any rebroadcast or use in another medium without express written consent of WXXI is strictly prohibited.

Connections with Evan Dawson is available as a podcast.

Just click on the connections link.

At WXXI news.org.