Ujima: Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.

Ujima [oo JEE mah] is the third day of  Kwanzaa. In the Nguzo Saba (seven principles), Ujima means “Collective Work and Responsibility:” to build and maintain our community together. To make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems to solve together.

Robert E. Cornegy, Jr., district leader in the 56th A.D., exemplifies the principle of Ujima.

Aside from serving as Bed-Stuy’s district leader, Cornegy currently is a candidate in the 2013 City Council race. Although it would seem those two responsibilities alone would occupy all of Cornegy’s time, it’s only the tip of the iceberg: Cornegy works full-time as a legislative policy analyst for the Committees on Aging and Veterans Affairs in the New York City Council.

He also serves on the Youth, Education and Safety Task Force for Community Board 3 and earlier this year, was appointed as president of the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association (VIDA).

Cornegy is ubiquitous in Bed-Stuy: Not only can you spot him from blocks and blocks away (he’s 6 foot 10”), but he’s everywhere! No sooner will you see him on one end of Bed-Stuy speaking at a high school event for young boys, than you see him again less than an hour later on another end of the neighborhood holding a toy drive for needy children.

“Everybody has something that gets them up everyday and makes them excited. I get excited about creating partnerships—partnerships that are sustainable and show-and-prove in the community,” said Cornegy.

“And from my vantage point, both from a height perspective and from working with so many organizations, I’m uniquely qualified to know who’s doing what and putting those pieces together.

“It’s my love of people and community. But in order for us to be sustainable, then we have to collectively work together and be the change we want to see.”

Cornegy’s knack for inspiring collective work and responsibility is one of the reasons he was chosen as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention for President Barack Obama.

As a delegate, his responsibility included serving as the neighborhood team leader to mobilize supporters and voters for the president's re-election efforts during the most recent 2012 presidential race.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Cornegy said he learned the value of collective work and responsibility by watching his father, Robert Cornegy, Sr., who for many years was a pastor at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church on Quincy Street in Bed-Stuy.

“My father, from his small pocket in Bed-Stuy, successfully built a sustainable community around religion and spirituality. I watched him inspire people by getting people together. And as a result, I’ve seen parts of these communities really grow by being connected,” said Cornegy.

“So the work I do is not about what I want; it’s never been about what I want. It’s about getting the community to see the value of working together.

“Whether you’re in Marcy Houses or in a brownstone in Bed-Stuy, we all want the same thing: a good quality of life. And once we begin seeing and understanding that we function better when we are connected to each other, we begin to appreciate each other a lot more.

“And our lives become that more valuable.”