Meet Valerie

“Harlem is where my heart is,” Born and raised in the neighborhood, Valerie has called Harlem home her whole life. Most of her life was spent on the East Side, and through the years the community has shaped her to be of service to others, value her neighborhood, and be a source of connection and empowerment for community members. Her grandmother moved from Puerto Rico at a young age, and her family has lived in Harlem for multiple generations. Coming at a young age most of her core memories are within Harlem, “My grandmother came from Puerto Rico when she was young, a teenager, but she only knew Harlem…. Where she had… kids, where her first apartment was, what she was doing when she came with her mom… her first jobs, you know, all here… This is all I know, [too]. I'm open to [knowing] other places, but this is where my heart is. And I've actually moved for about two years to Jersey… And guess where I came back? Harlem!” It’s where Valerie feels the most comfortable and the most love, “I remember growing up… for the holidays, [we’d] open our door, leave the door open. All the kids will be outside in the hallway playing the music, playing… and it was just like a big, happy family.” Spending time outside is one of her favorite memories, “I think for me, it was playing in the pump, when they used to open the pump, you know? And it's funny, because I tell my son these things, and he's like, 'What? That's what y'all used to do? Like, y'all didn't have, like, a water park?' 'No, the pump was our water park.' You know, and it was a safe [street], so we would stay outside... It would be nighttime. I remember the gentleman playing… dominoes [on] the corner… and… the moms talking and the kids just playing, getting to know each other… Becoming family, playing in the pump on the summer nights.”

“Harlem is just a beautiful place to grow up in because you see the elders helping, they’re giving advice. They see you trying to go the wrong way, they steer you in the right way. So it’s a big happy family and I wouldn’t change it for nothing. I love that I grew up here. I love that I’m still here.”

At a young age, Valerie began building her own community through dance. “So at 16 years old, I started a dance group called The 1 Double O Flygirls Dance Group. And I called it that because we lived on 100th Street.” She recruited her younger sister’s friends and would teach them dance routines, “I've always loved to dance. I danced with the Repertory Dance Company of East Harlem, where I learned African, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, and I always liked to make up steps.” She remembers it started with her mother buying a camcorder for the family, sparking her desire to record dance and teaching choreography. Her mother supported her fully, even helping to buy costumes for the girls. People became interested in them and they began doing showcases, even performing on television and at the Apollo. It was a great opportunity to get out of the house, exercise, make connections, and stay out of trouble. And this was only the beginning for her, in adulthood she founded Valerie’s Women’s Empowerment Group to continue connecting and empowering women all while giving back to the community. She says, “So when I was 16, I was doing the dance. And when I got older, seven years ago, I started the empowerment group. I have over 4,500 women from around the world that I empower every single day. I call them Queens… I always remind them. And our mantra is, 'We are beautiful, we are strong, and we are determined.' …So, you know, I love being in Harlem. I love giving back to the community with motivation, with support. We're just a community group.” 

One of the main focuses of Valerie’s Women’s Empowerment Group is community service. “We do it the old fashioned way. We do bake sales… We all give from what we have… We sell plates to make money and with the money we raise, we'll get book bags, we'll give it out to the children in need. For Thanksgiving, we get turkeys, we give it out. And people have been seeing what I've done, and they're like, 'We want to jump on with you.' So now organizations are inviting us to join them because we do so much with nothing. And I just feel it's about unity. It's about people coming together and just making it happen with no judgment, with nobody trying to be the boss, just together, brothers and sisters. And that's been my mission… That's my purpose. I'm walking in my purpose.” They often collaborate with local organizations and businesses, like GG & POP and Boriken Neighborhood Center, for programming and to support local events and initiatives. Valerie’s desire to do this work is largely from her upbringing, “It has a lot to do with the community that I surround myself with, Harlem, and the people that live here, they are so supportive in everything that I do… You need support, you need that extended family, and I feel that's what Harlem brings to me.” She’s also received a lot of support from her family, especially her cousin. "She's actually my second cousin [who] was my mom's BFF cousin growing up. And it's just so beautiful to now have a relationship with her. You know, it's like having my mom here, because I haven't had my mom in so long, so I could ask her questions about my mom, and she could answer them, and it's such a beautiful thing.”

“My Harlem story? I would describe it as a beautiful journey, a gift. A gift to be born here, a gift to see the surroundings grow as I grow. And just the love, the love that has never left… the Harlem streets, the Harlem community… I love it.”

There’s nowhere else she would rather be, “Harlem is just a beautiful place to grow up in because you see the elders helping, they're giving advice. They see you trying to go the wrong way, they steer you in the right way. So it's a big happy family and I wouldn't change it for nothing. I love that I grew up here. I love that I'm still here. I love that I'm raising my son here. I have a 21 year old… amazing young man, and he loves it here too. So this is our home.” The community has always been a place of love, culture, and unity for her, with people always ready to help and support. “The Harlem culture is warm. It's love… I just love the feeling of walking through the streets, people greeting us.” She says, “As long as we stay loving, compassionate, supportive, I think… the rest is history. We're just gonna continue to pass that on to our children, to the grandchildren. And, you know, and that's one thing that I do with my son… I talk about the roots… If I see a new spot opening up, I let him know so that he could tell his friends. And I feel it's all about support… Tell one, tell all, and you go visit, you support that business, they stay in business. You know, why come out of our area and support others when we all here?” Valerie hopes to keep these key values within Harlem and to continue doing her work on a larger scale, now expanding with a teen empowerment group hosted in GG & POP. In the future, she would love to have “a headquarters” to host programs and provide jobs for the elders or “seasoned Queens” in her group. As for herself, personally, she says, “I just want to continue to stay healthy. I feel health is wealth, and I feel like I'm needed in so many different ways. So I just want to… continue my journey, continue to spread the love, continue to grow, continue to travel, take my girls with me to different places, put those stamps on the passports… It's a sisterhood we've created.” She concludes, “My Harlem story? I would describe it as a beautiful journey, a gift. A gift to be born here, a gift to see the surroundings grow as I grow. And just the love, the love that has never left… the Harlem streets, the Harlem community… I love it.”