A CLEAN SWEEP IN NEWAK

Volunteers vow to help keep Newark Streets clean of debris.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Monte Tchakonunte cleans up the curbs along side Avon Avenue as passerbys walk by in Newark, NJ on Sunday, July 24, 2022. Tchakonunte is the founder of Movement For The Renaissance of the Tradition of Africa also known as MRTAFRIKA. For the past two and half years his group has lead a weekly environmental cleanup throughout the streets of Essex county. (Brian Branch-Price/Thefotodesk).

REPORTAGE By Brian Branch-Price.

On the Hottest Sunday in July, the 19th 2022 to be exact, when temps reached 105 in Newark, New Jersey MRTA was on Avon Avenue and Irvine Turner Blvd. Cleaning up the streets with an army of seven volunteers.

MRTA stands for the Movement for the Renaissance of the Tradition of Africa. MRTA was founded by Monte This Movement is bringing back our old values.

“Because we live in a capitalist society we believe that it is someone else’s job to do the work

During a BLM protest in Newark’s Military park Monte asked a question to some brothers and sisters “what are really doing to bring a change?”

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Left, Monte Tchakonunte helps with the clean up along side Avon Avenue in Newark, NJ on Sunday, July 24, 2022. (Brian Branch-Price/Thefotodesk).

After living in newark for a year, Monte Tchakonunte, originally from Cameroon, noticed a common thread in newark and that was “Dirt on the Ground.” Such as garbage, “people throw stuff everywhere. No garbage cans around.”

He says what are we going to do about this?”  are we going to complain or are we going to Taki take matters into our own hands and start doing something about it.”

MRTA’s  movement is to clean “our neighborhood streets” in Newark and other neighborhoods in Essex County.