Margarita Lopez was a Puerto Rican two-term city council representative. She moved to the Lower East Side in the 1980s and became politically active in resistance the gentrification of the area, and an advocate and activist for the construction and restoration of affordable housing. Originally, Bloomberg appointed her as a member of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). During her term she worked to implement more environmentally friendly measures, including planting over 11,000 trees on the NYCHA’s property. The different strategies executed were responsible for reducing the city’s carbon footprint and reducing costs, and ultimately placing the NYCHA at the forefront of “green” innovations [1].
During an interview with Arnoldo Medina, a Puerto Rican who grew up on the Lower East Side, Mr. Medina relays a few of his most vivid memories of Ms. Lopez.
“My father would take me to rallies and protests that Ms. Lopez organized. I remember her being a very passionate speaker and we fought hard for a good cause… I definitely saw Ms. Lopez as a community leader. I knew that she was Puerto Rican but personally, that is not why I admired her. I know that Ms. Lopez went on to be a New York City Council Member, and I would have voted for her if I was old enough. But I remember my father making a point of it, to vote for her. I don’t know about her roles in my former community after that. My dad did not continue to be PTA president or be active in the community to that degree again. My dad is Ecuadorian and married to my Puerto Rican mother. I don’t know if Ms. Lopez being Puerto Rican as well influenced his vote. Ms. Lopez’s good works were enough.”
Image of Margarita Lopez, a significant Puerto Rican politician of the Lower East Side, Courtesy of The New York Post
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