“Never give up! That’s my call to everything in life,” says Nuyorican artist, activist, and author Joe Conzo. The former FDNY EMT – who was buried under 9/11 rubble – is a survivor in every sense of the word. After recently battling and beating cancer of the pancreas and liver brought on by conditions at Ground Zero, Conzo made the front page of the January 26 Daily News after taking on Glacier Equities, a real estate firm that in November 2020 purchased the Bronx building where Conzo has lived since 1991.
.
Two days before Christmas, Conzo and dozens of residents across the Bronx and Inwood received a letter informing them they were being evicted during a pandemic, and given just 90 days to find a new place to live as of January 31. “Getting the letter was like being told again, ‘We found cancer in your body,’” Conzo says.
.
But Glacier Equities had met its match; Conzo is Bronx royalty. His grandmother, Dr. Evelina López Antonetty (1922-1984), was an activist affectionately known as “The Hell Lady of the Bronx” who let politicians know: “I don’t work for you. You work for me. You do for us first and then we will do for you.” An educator unafraid to take on the establishment, Dr. Antonetty founded United Bronx Parents (UBP) in 1965 to fight for equal opportunities for the poor, the fruits of her labour resulting in bilingual education nationwide and school meal programs for impoverished children.
.
“My grandmother died fighting. Same thing with my mother,” Conzo says of Lorraine Montenegro who took the helm of UBP after her mother’s death and passed in 2017 as a result of the lack of government support in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Today, two adjacent Bronx street corners bear their respective names, honouring the work they did to help the people of the community.
.
“I’m still fighting – and it’s not by choice,” Conzo says with a laugh. “It’s like that line in The Godfather III, ‘Just when I thought I was out, they pull me backed in!’ It’s about education and standing up for your rights. If you do your due diligence, you’ll come out on top. I don’t care how big Goliath is.”
.
.
