Large Town Hall On Future Of Morningside Heights This Friday

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — More than 100 leaders, advocates and neighbors will gather on Friday in Morningside Heights to take part in a wide-ranging discussion on recent events in the area, including the federal crackdown on Columbia University, to create a shared vision for the future of the neighborhood.

The symposium, aptly titled "Morningside Rights," is organized by the Morningside Heights Community Coalition at the Union Theological Seminary.

So far, representatives from 10 administrations, five student organizations, 23 community groups, and six local small businesses have registered to attend.

The event will feature discussion groups and speeches from local leaders and include time for neighbors to connect over lunch.

New York State Senator Cordell Cleare, State Assembly Member Micah Lasher, and New York City Council Member Shaun Abreu are tentatively scheduled to speak, according to the Coalition.

"It's high time to have a candid discussion on how this neighborhood is being influenced and developed," Dan McSweeney, a local advocate at the Morningside Heights Community Coalition, said. "We're in the eye of the hurricane, in many ways. Especially with regard to recent events at Columbia University, the issues we'll be discussing are not only relevant to our community, they have national and even international implications."

The event will feature creative art pieces developed throughout the day to represent the vision of the neighborhood, and the cumulating point of the event will be the drafting of a shared vision statement that reinforces the neighborhood's community values and bonds and describes how Morningside Heights should evolve in the near future.

"Morningside Heights has a long history of organizing and advocacy reaching far beyond our blocks," McSweeney said. "We are channeling this legacy in response to a wide array of political, economic, and social challenges. This is about reinforcing democratic values and that begins at home."

The symposium will take place from 12-5 p.m. on Friday at the Union Theological Seminary, which is located at 3041 Broadway. Registration for the event is required. Register here.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.