Grace Maldonado Way (Bronx)
Present name:None
Location:At the intersection of East 156th Street and Cauldwell Avenue
Honoree: Grace Maldonado is remembered most immediately as the Tenant’s Association president for the NYCHA development at South Bronx Area (Site 402) as well as at Union Avenue-East 166th Street, two positions from which she advocated for the rights of Bronxites living in public housing . At Site 402, she built and maintained a community garden that is immensely popular with the community and has won numerous awards in NYCHA’s Garden and Greening program. Grace used this garden as the vehicle for charitable acts for the community. She grew fruits and vegetables in it that she distributed for free to individuals in need. She used it to host programs for children where they could learn gardening skills and connect with nature, and she cultivated it as a symbol of natural beauty that eased the mental health of those in the neighborhood. Grace Maldonado earned herself the nickname of “Mama Grace”: a caretaker of the community that, despite her own battle with cancer, met every Bronxite with indiscriminate compassion, charity, and love. (Salamanca)
LL:2022/54

Normandía Maldonado Way (Manhattan)
Present name:Amsterdam Avenue
Location:Between 166th Street and 167th Street
Honoree: Normandía Maldonado (1929-2018) was a folklorist as well as a staunch advocate and leader in the Dominican community. She co-founded Club Civico y Cultural Juan Pablo Duarte, Inc. currently known as the Instituto Duartiano de los Estados Unidos, Inc, the second oldest Dominican cultural organization in New York. The organization was responsible for the creation of the statue of Juan Pablo Duarte, the founding father of the Dominican Republic, on the Avenue of Americas near Canal Street. She also co-founded the Centro Cultural Ballet Quisqueya in 1967 and also co-founded the Dominican Day Parade, Inc. She was dedicated to teaching children about Dominican traditions and customs in both the Dominican Republic and New York. She was honored by local organizations and institutions, such as Alianza Dominicana and the Dominican Folklore Hall of Fame. (Rodriguez)
LL:2018/139