Lyndie Callan
0:16:48
When I undertook this project, I was thinking small.
0:16:51
But once I got going searching the farmer's market in the neighborhood for people to sign a petition, folks who knew and respected my mother came out of the woodwork.
0:16:59
I got a letter of support from George Gresham, president of 1199 SEIU Health and Hospital Workers, a union of 450,000 strong.
0:17:12
Monty had worked to get George elected many years ago.
0:17:16
They knew one another, Natch.
0:17:18
I did not seek a letter from Jerry Nadler, but he knew Mani, as did Gail Brewer, Ruth Messenger, and the former executive director of Goddard Riverside Community Center, Stephane Russo.
0:17:29
Mani was part of the fabric of the old guard that made the Upper West Side great.
0:17:34
Often after a long day's work, she would head out to a meeting on tenants' rights or to strategize with others dedicated to ending the war in Vietnam.
0:17:44
This was all in addition to her paid job as a social worker, which she took seriously.
0:17:50
She seemed to have boundless energy rallying, marching, striking alongside local politicians and neighbors to make the Upper West Side, the United States, the world, a better place.
0:18:02
At an advanced age, she accompanied retirees from her union to Washington to meet with First Lady Michelle Obama to discuss health care and challenges facing seniors.
0:18:12
In her nineties, when Mani had dementia excuse me, and I told her I was writing postcards to encourage people to vote, she said, I want to help.
0:18:24
It took me many years to understand how important she was, and how many people genuinely loved and respected her and the work she did.
0:18:32
Co naming a street in her honor will give credence to the expression, because of them, we can.
