Stories & Events for Social Connection

By Seamus Gallivan

• Progress toward parkway revival on Humboldt?
• Musings on Music: Jazz & Community Bridging Divides
• Featured Events: 20 is the new norm; here come the spring cleanups
• Listening Links: What are your go-to podcasts?
• Reading Rundown: From local stories to national context

Welcome to the Buffalodown, thank you for your attention!

Always welcoming submissions.

Leading this week with the latest in the multi-generational saga that inspired the conception of Reconnecter – a new twist this past week in putting the park back in Humboldt Parkway, as the State Department of Transportation (DOT) decided not to appeal the latest court decision regarding their proposal of tunneling a small part of the Kensington Expressway, whose creation destroyed the wide and tree-lined Humboldt promenade, along with hundreds of houses and the quality of life of surrounding residents.

Pledging “to reignite our public engagement efforts,” DOT officials essentially admitted what’s been obvious for so long – at least in my opinion, having been involved for the past decade – their previous public engagement has fallen short of bringing the greater community together and building consensus for a monumental project proposed to cost well beyond a billion dollars.

While we await next steps, shouts out as always to the Restore Our Community Coalition for their decades of advocacy to put the park back in Humboldt Parkway; to the East Side Parkways Coalition for their two years of organizing and pleading for the possibility of the project being broader than a billion-dollar bandaid; and to media members keeping this saga in the news, led of late by Nate Benson of WGRZ-TV.

  Shout out also to Slow Roll Buffalo, the nonprofit organization I cofounded and served for a decade from 2014-23, on announcing their 2025 season of free and inclusive community bike rides while also launching a new program called Golden Wellness 365, “a vibrant wellness program designed specifically for individuals aged 55 and older,” offering “guided bike demonstrations, fitness sessions, wellness workshops, and community events tailored to support healthy aging and foster a sense of belonging.”

Next up is yoga next week:

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Musings on Music

Jazz & Community Bridging Divides at Eat Off Art

The universal language of music might be our most powerful tool for bridging divides.

That’s the spirit and title of an event this Thursday, as music is in the mix for the latest installment of Just Buffalo Literary Center’s (JBLC) beloved Babel author series, which holds the sacredness of social connection in its name – “The very name of the series is inspired by that ancient tale of a world shattered and confused, people unable to speak to one another,” the JBLC website declares. “How to explain the inexplicable? This is the gift of great literature: offering us not simple answers, but lasting enigmas that challenge us to speak even when we have no words.

“And Babel is more than a lecture series. For every author, we organize a full spectrum of events, including book discussions, screenings of film adaptations and documentaries relevant to the selected books, and special events for high school and college students to meet the authors in an intimate setting.”

As part of Babel welcoming author and musician James McBride to Buffalo for a date at Kleinhans Music Hall on Wednesday, April 30th, JBLC’s Civil Writes Project will convene at Eat Off Art for a free gathering this coming Thursday, April 17th, entitled, Jazz & Community Bridging Divides: “an evening where music meets meaning featuring musical performance & discussion with Sabu Adeyola, Colter Harper, & Alex McArthur. Moderated by Naomi Thompson.”

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Events in the Week Ahead

Thanks to all who’ve submitted their events! Welcoming submissions with a flyer and link to seamus@reconnecter.org.

Visit and subscribe to The Buffalo Hive for the comprehensive community events calendar we’ve been calling for!

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Listening Links

What are you listening to? Please send links!

The Fight to Protect Healthcare and Medicaid – The Public Good – “As of February 2024 around 42% of New Yorkers across the state are enrolled in a Medicaid or Essential Plan. While some funding is state tax dollars, impending threats of an $880 billion cut to federal Medicaid spending over 10 years by the current administration will create a significant hole in NYS resources to serve the community.

“With federal cuts and the risk of eliminating entire public health systems, Jasmine Westbrook of the Healthcare Education Project/1199 SEIU joins us to discuss their fight to save lives.”

Singer/Songwriter Marc Scibilla: From Buffalo, to Nashville, to the World – Why Music Matters – “Born in Buffalo, NY, and raised in a musical environment, Marc packed his belongings and headed south to Nashville, TN, when he was fresh out of high school, with dreams of becoming a songwriter living and working on the fabled Music Row dancing through his head.”

‘Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Generation We Know Of’ – The Ezra Klein Show – “What is childhood for? What are parents for? What do human beings need in order to flourish? You know, the small stuff.”

In the Flamingo Lounge with Rockabilly Greg, episode 150: Seamus Gallivan – who wants to listen to a whole hour of me rambling?! Seriously grateful for Greg and this historical document of Buffalo’s music scene, now 150 episodes of open-ended stories behind the scenes – hopefully you’ll find this episode enjoyable, especially if you’ve bothered to subscribe to Reconnecter and read this far into it.

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Reading Rundown

Always welcoming links to read and share at seamus@reconnecter.org.

GObike location allegedly robbed of $8K worth of equipment – WIVB-TV – “Every Tuesday, the GObike location on Colvin Avenue opens its doors for shop night, allowing anyone to come by and work on their bikes. When staff members arrived to open the location this week, they were greeted with snow flying through a broken window.”

The Offline Club: Authentic Connection – Buffalo rising – “…a series of smaller events, where people check their phones in at the door, before chilling, playing games, reading, writing, creating, and socializing without being attached to their tech gadgets.”

‘Homegrowns are next’: Trump hopes to deport and jail U.S. citizens abroad – NPR – “El Salvador is already holding hundreds of people in a maximum-security prison, flown from the U.S. in recent weeks after being detained for allegedly lacking legal status or having gang affiliations.”

Here’s something you can (and should!) do for American democracy – American Crisis by Margaret Sullivan – “Keep the pressure on to stop an appalling voter-suppression bill so that it never gets Senate approval”

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Thank YOU for reading this far and being part of it all – extra thanks to everyone supporting this work with a membership at www.reconnecter.org!

Please share with friends to sign up for next Tuesday’s Buffalodown, and reach out with any feedback, all ideas welcome!

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