In Conversation: East Harlem Has Waited Nearly a Century for the Q Train. Can the Neighborhood Make It Through Construction?

Recorded live at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute in East Harlem, this installment of In Conversation: The Affordability Series explores the optimism surrounding the long-awaited Second Avenue Subway extension, along with the concerns and impacts felt by local residents and businesses. The Q train could bring shorter commutes, better connections and new opportunities to a neighborhood that has waited generations for improved transit. Community leaders, tenants, business advocates and MTA representatives discuss what the subway could mean for East Harlem and how longtime residents and businesses can take part in its future.

Panelists include:

• Melody Capote, executive director of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute
• Adem Brija, chair of Manhattan Community Board 11
• Ulices Mendez, organizer with the East Harlem Tenant Union
• Carey King, director of Uptown Grand Central
• Lucille Songhai, MTA senior director of Government and Community Relations
• Joe O’Donnell, senior director of Strategic Public Affairs at MTA Construction and Development

Photo cred: Ramsey Khalifeh- WNYC/Gothamist

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For more of Ramsey’s reporting on the Second Avenue Subway extension in East Harlem:

• The Second Avenue subway forced him to move 20 years ago. He almost had to move again.
• Short-term pain for a long-term train: MTA subway construction upends life in East Harlem
• The Second Avenue subway forced this East Harlem family from their home
• As MTA moves ahead with 2nd Avenue subway extension, East Harlem locals brace for change

Other stories mentioned:

• In East Brooklyn, aging NYCHA homes get a $636M upgrade
• What NYers can expect as open enrollment for health insurance begins

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