Premiere Episode focuses on The Happy Land Social Club Fire of 1990.
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Copyright 2025 by Teofilo Colon Jr (a.k.a. “Tio Teo”) for Being Garifuna. All Rights Reserved. Contact Tio Teo.
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Bronx, New York – A new podcast is set to be released into the world on March 25th 2025. The Audio Podcast is called BronxDNA and according to it’s website, The BronxDNA Podcast aims to, “Chronicle and Elevate the Cultural Zeitgeist of The Bronx and its Diaspora.
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As stated in the headline of this blog post, The First Ever Episode of The BronxDNA Podcast chooses to focus as its topic, a tragic happening that took place in the Bronx, The Happy Land Social Club Fire. The Happy Land Fire was one of deadliest fires in the History of The Bronx and New York City, period.
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The Happy Land Fire also served to introduce the Garifuna ethnic group to the general population. Many of the 87 People whose lives were lost were of Garifuna Heritage.
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The Happy Land Social Club Fire revolved around a Cuban Refugee, Jorge Gonzalez, who took a dollar’s worth of gasoline and a match and set fire to the Happy Land Social Club, an unlicensed club in the Bronx.
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Mr. Gonzalez set the fire after an argument with his ex-girlfriend, who worked as a coat check girl at the establishment. 87 People Died in the Fire.
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The BronxDNA Podcast interviews victims like Thelma Gomez, a woman of Garifuna Heritage whose mother was one of the Victims of The Happy Land Fire.
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I, as the Publisher of the Being Garifuna Blog, was also interviewed. I don’t know how useful my quotes were, but I must admit that Honduran Garifuna Singer-Songwriter and Musician, Aurelio Martinez, and his becoming an Ancestor was heavy on my mind. We’ll see if whatever contributions of mine to the BronxDNA Podcast help.
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The BronxDNA Podcast was created by Filmmaker, Mr. Edwin Pagan. A Photographer, Film Producer, Director of Photography, Multimedia Artist, Cultural Activist and now, Podcast Host, Mr. Pagan is a Puerto Rican from the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
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The BronxDNA Podcast can be listened to on major Podcast Platforms. A quick Google Search reveals that The Bronx DNA Podcast can be listened to at Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeart Media and more.