Ghetto Brother: Warrior to Peacemaker

The Bronx Trolley: First Wednesdays Arts & Culture Tour stops at the Bronx Museum where author Julian Voloj will discuss his graphic novel Ghetto Brother: Warrior to Peacemaker with Benjamin Melendez, the protagonist of the book, as well as Joseph Mpa, a former Black Panther activist.

Free admission and bar (donations suggested)
Location: North Wing Lobby
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About Ghetto Brother
An engrossing and counter view of one of the most dangerous elements of American urban history, Ghetto Brother tells the true story of Benjy Melendez, a Bronx legend, son of Puerto-Rican immigrants, who founded, at the end of the 1960s, the notorious Ghetto Brothers gang. From the seemingly bombed-out ravages of his neighborhood, wracked by drugs, poverty, and violence, he managed to extract an incredibly positive energy from this riot ridden era: his multiracial gang promoted peace rather than violence. After initiating a gang truce, the Ghetto Brothers held weekly concerts on the streets or in abandoned buildings, which fostered the emergence of hip-hop. Melendez also began to reclaim his Jewish roots after learning about his family’s dramatic crypto-Jewish background.

Find out more about the compelling graphic novel here.