For as long as Black History Month has been a thing, Roosevelt Island shined a spotlight on it. The community came together, sharing values, honoring tradition. But inexplicably, that’s gone now, and no one, outside RIOC, knows why.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Black History Month Traditions
In years past, it wasn’t just art exhibits and library talks. RIOC hung posters on Main Street and in the Tram plazas. Awareness fused a community built on economic ideals intended to make everyone welcome. True, we did not always meet those high standards, but the commitment was almost always there.
Another thing that’s true is that the state agency that never gets it wrong has fumbled every significant public event for the last six months. RIOC’s vaunted Communications and Community Relations Team pitched strange, thin rationales from behind the bunker, refusing to lead events surrounding 9/11, the Halloween Parade and the Holiday Tree Lighting.
But in a year in which conservatives are on the attack, pushing back furiously against Critical Race Theory, RIOC’s going completely blank during Black History Month is as inexcusable as it is inexplicable. They offer no apology or explanation, making the glaring hole of negligence even more disturbing.
But we can offer a little help…
The real state website 6SQFT offers an alternative. Their How to Celebrate Black History Month 2022 in New York City offers a robust list of activities that might help yo pick up the slack on Roosevelt Island.
Other communities are celebrating, and they welcome your joining in.
More from the Roosevelt Island Daily
- Fall Prevention for Seniors: Make Your Apartment Safer, Nov. 20Fall prevention for seniors: Sen. Krueger’s Nov. 20 virtual roundtable tours a typical NYC apartment, with tips on landlord changes and balance. RSVP on Zoom.
- Thursday’s PSD blotter: two hospital runs, a trespass summons at 888 MainRIOC’s Nov. 12 PSD blotter lists 15 incidents: six medical calls, two alarms at 546 Main Street, and a late-night trespass at 888 Main Street that ended with a summons.
- Queens Home Prices and Rents Rise in October 2026 as Long Island City Condos Draw BuyersQueens home prices and rents rose in October 2026. See StreetEasy’s housing figures and Long Island City condo contract activity at Radiant and Vesta.
- Medicare Open Enrollment Ends Dec. 7: Get Answers on 2027 ChangesMedicare open enrollment ends Dec. 7. Sen. Krueger’s Nov. 16 virtual town hall covers 2027 premium, deductible and Part D changes, with a HIICAP expert’s Q&A.
- Wednesday’s PSD blotter: two medical calls, a water leak, a custody reportRIOC’s Nov. 11 PSD blotter lists 10 incidents, all on Main Street, including two medical calls at 555 Main Street, a water leak at 560 Main and a custody or visitation report.
The Contractor RIOC Wasn’t Allowed to Remember
Professor Lydia W. Tang recognized the name LiRo-Hill. During the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s September 10, 2026 board meeting, Chief Operating Officer Mary C. Cunneen presented eleven construction management firms recommended for contracts lasting up to six years.
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