President’s Letter: April 2025
Monthly observations and insights from MAS Interim President Keri Butler
MAS is wrapping up April on a high note! We launched our Enduring Culture Community Partnerships program, which will award seven grants of $10,000 each to community-based organizations working to preserve underrecognized or at-risk cultural practices and places that anchor neighborhoods and communities across New York City.
Thanks to the generous support of the Mellon Foundation and the New York Community Trust, this program enables MAS to support and collaborate with local partners to advocate for a more inclusive and expansive vision of preservation.
This weekend, that vision comes to life on our streets through Jane’s Walk NYC. Each year, hundreds of volunteers lead a weekend of free neighborhood walks that share the historic, quirky, and often overlooked stories of New York. From the evolution of an Open Street in Queens to the abolitionists of Staten Island to the soundscapes of Williamsburg, these walks reflect the heart of the MAS Enduring Culture Initiative: celebrating living culture, community stories, and place-based identity.
Jane’s Walk is grassroots cultural preservation. It’s a moment when neighbors, storytellers, artists, historians, and curious strangers come together to discover the everyday places and practices that define our communities. In a time of increasing disconnection, it reminds us that shared experience in public space fosters empathy and understanding.
The need for these types of gatherings was underscored in the 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. This report made clear that lack of social connection is a public health crisis—with wide-ranging impacts on community safety, resilience, and even economic stability. It called on city leaders to invest in programs that strengthen social infrastructure and bring people together. This is what Jane’s Walk and Enduring Culture do for New York City.
So, as thousands take to the streets for this Jane’s Walk weekend, we hope you’ll walk with us. Listen to a story you’ve never heard. Visit a place you’ve never seen. Meet someone you didn’t expect. These small moments are steps toward a city that values its diverse heritage, nurtures belonging, and invests in the cultural fabric that makes New York truly New York. Let’s walk toward a more inclusive, interconnected city—together. You can join us by registering for a walk here.
Jane’s Walk is almost here! Sign-up for walks and join us May 2-4 across NYC.
