Press Release:
The Mystic River Watershed Association is hosting a lecture and panel discussion headlined by Alexie Torres-Fleming, an award winning speaker, activist, urban planner and Medford resident. Torres-Fleming will share her story of creating a community-driven movement to revitalize parks along the Bronx River. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place Wednesday April 5th at 6:30 pm, at Partners HealthCare, Assembly Row, Somerville.
In addition to Torres-Fleming, the panel will feature Amber Christoffersen, Mystic Greenways Director at the Mystic River Watershed Association and Roseann Bongiovanni, Executive Director of GreenRoots, discussing how a democratic, participatory and innovative process can transform parks—and communities—along the Mystic River.
“Alexie is an amazing speaker and an inspiring leader. I am excited to bring her story here to the Mystic so that we can learn from her experience as we build the Mystic Greenways - our initiative to create 20 miles of contiguous linear parks and paths from the Mystic Lakes to the Boston Harbor,” said Amber Christoffersen, Mystic Greenways Director at the Mystic River Watershed Association.
What: Parks, People and Power: Building a Movement for the Mystic Greenways
When: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Partners HealthCare, 399 Revolution Drive, Somerville, MA 02145
Tickets: Go to www.MysticRiver.org
Alexie Torres-Fleming is an award-winning speaker, activist, community organizer, advocate and urban planner from the South Bronx, NY. Alexie co-founded the Bronx River Alliance and the Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance. During her tenure, the organization cleaned-up abandoned industrial sites, expanded the Bronx River greenway, and developed green infrastructure. However, her greatest pride is in the legacy of power and leadership assumed by community residents. She now lives in Medford and is the Executive Director of Access Strategies Fund, a Cambridge foundation that supports civic participation among women and communities of color.
A nationally sought-after speaker, Torres-Fleming has received numerous awards throughout her career, including the 2008 Rockefeller Foundation’s Jane Jacobs Medal for New Ideas and Activism. In January 2009, she was named one of “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World” by the Utne Reader and was awarded a Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2013.
