Wednesday, June 29, 2016: President of the Borough of Queens, Melinda Katz, along with Councilmember Daniel Dromm, and Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer held a Pride Month celebration at Queens Borough Hall, honoring five Queens residents for their outstanding work and contributions to the Queens community.

Among the honorees was Access Queens Creative Director Brandon W. Mosley, who also serves on its steering committee and moderates the 7 Train Blues Facebook group. Council member Van Bramer introduced Brandon with very kind words and a list of his recent accomplishments with Access Queens. Over the past year, Brandon has brought creative strategy and user experience to the forefront of Access Queens’ transit efforts, including a custom-built website, image campaigns, and smartphone-friendly tools for straphangers.

A freelance web and graphic designer by trade, Brandon joined 7 Train Blues in 2015 to offer his expertise as a resource to help Access Queens improve 7 Train service.

"In the wake of such recent terrors brought against our community—and minorities at large—now more than ever, it is important for us to be visible and uplifting to our communities," Brandon said in his remarks to an audience of about 50. "Never would I have thought that my small contribution in design would make a difference, but maybe that’s the point. Every little bit counts. And I invite everyone here tonight and out in the community to find a way to make things better for us all."

Richard Shpuntoff, a filmmaker and former Queens Pride photographer; Mohamed Amin, founder and Executive Director of the Caribbean Equality Project; Justin Monaco, social studies teacher at MS 158; and Dr. Matt Oransky, clinical psychologist at Mount Sinai, also received citations from the city.

Access Queens congratulates all of the honorees for their outstanding work and contributions!