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A Day in the Life of a Blind Brooklyn Athlete and Rapper

A Day in the Life of Jahron Black

Brooklyn local Jahron Black relaxes in his backyard before heading to the New York Association for Blind Athlete’s goalball practice, a sports game specially crafted for the visually impaired. As the president of this organization and a visually impaired man himself, Black prides himself in the awareness he raises for people like him. “This was a sport that was founded over 20 years ago after World War II, to help the veterans cope with losing their vision,” said Black.

When he was born, Black was diagnosed with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, a medical condition in which some optic nerve axons in the eyes do not develop fully. As a child, he fell in love with sports and after getting involved in NYABA, he has worked towards inspiring all kids with visual impairments to be active. “A lot of times parents are afraid for their child, and what happens is that the child ends up being sheltered. They become socially awkward and they do not excel in public,” said Black. “Just because you are visually impaired, does not mean you have other cognitive disabilities.”

Black carefully sets up the 9 x 18 meter court with wire, to assist the visually impaired players with touching the court boundaries. He reaches for the 4-pound ball in the back of the gymnasium, which is filled with bells in its center to assist players with hearing when the ball is volleyed back and forth. “I always call it a mix of bowling and soccer,” said Black.

In the game, the court is broken down into three sections: the left wing, the right wing, and the center wing. Although all players are visually impaired, some have different levels of blindness. To make the game completely fair, all players are blindfolded.

Along with being a player in the goalball league, Jahron works to teach people with vision about the game. Pictured here is Jahron teaching two New York Cares volunteers with sight how to play.

Apart from being involved in the NYABA, Jahron works on telling his story through rapping, which he works on from his bedroom in Brooklyn. “It is therapeutic for me. I think music is a gateway into the soul, and I pride myself for the life I live to be a connection point to all walks of life. It can change many lives,” said Black.

Dynamic Profiles of Shanghai’s Longtang

Longtang is a public alleyway or a series of interconnected lanes found in traditional neighborhoods in Shanghai. Just like any other urban metropolis, Shanghai tells a tale of two cities. Even in some of its most expensive housing districts such as Nanjing East Road and Laoximen, there remain Longtang dwellers living in poor conditions and cramped spaces, which are in sharp contrast to gleaming high-rise luxury apartments just streets away.

These Longtangs are lacking in basic facilities such as indoor plumbing, heating and insulation. Often there are no toilets, so residents have to empty their own waste bowls. Urbanization has led to the demolishing of many such Longtangs because real estate developers buy places which have commercial value to be redeveloped. Many former residents are happy to receive cash handouts to leave their dilapidated dwellings and move into modern buildings. Those who remain because their Longtangs were not chosen to be redeveloped are unhappy with the current state of affairs.

Though, not all are complaining. Some people are content with just how things are. Others are calling for more cultural preservation instead of blind demolishing of these historical sites. Most of these Longtangs are nearly a century old, dating back to the 1920s and ’30s. These photographs provide a glimpse into the multi-faceted characters who make up Shanghai’s Longtangs.

Shopkeeper Mdm Zhang, 78, has been living in Shanghai for the past 50 years. “I told my grandson that in the past during natural disasters, we had to starve. He told me, impossible! He doesn’t believe me.” The bathroom area at the back of her store is hidden from sight with a modest piece of cloth.

Zhang says she runs the store because she is retired and has nothing else to do. Despite being a senior, she climbs a ladder to reach her bedroom which is located right above her store.

“You will be horrified by how bad the conditions are here,” Mr. Chen said and continued, “There is no toilet, we have to empty out the waste bowls… I wish to move out, but I have to listen to fate.”

Mrs. Xue has been a resident in this Longtang for 25 years. While the transportation is convenient, she complains that the space is getting too crowded. “This place is too small now that my daughter, 24, is older. I hope it gets torn down.”

Mr. Chen is a bachelor enjoying his retirement life. “I have no kids because I have no space to make babies!” His wicked sense of humor disguises his despair at his circumstance. “Who doesn’t want to live in a better house? Of course I want to move into a high-rise,” he said, echoing the thoughts of many residents who wish for their current houses to be demolished.

 

A Longtang which is cordoned off and being demolished right opposite Mr. Chen’s residence. The original residents have moved out of this estate.

This is a newly-renovated Longtang with newer and improved facilities. It has wide, spacious streets and even public toilets. Tourists armed with cameras stroll around here frequently.

“I like living here, I like the freedom,” said an antiques collector and trader who has spent 30 years in Shanghai.

“I only collect the finest of the finest.”

Born and raised in this Longtang, the young man is a university student studying film editing. “I like living here, there is nothing bad about living here. When I graduate, I will take over my father’s stores here.”

 

“I like all my classes at school. My hobby is running. I like everything about this place, in particular my family,” said a girl on the scooter.

    

Reference sources:

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2144013/development-destroys-old-shanghai-residents-win-payouts-lose-neighbourhood

Phone Banking with the ACLU

Phone banking during election season is a battleground of frustration and enlightenment. But doing so the last stretch of the weekend before the 2018 midterm elections can be a matter of life or death. It’s not easy to get up on a Saturday morning to phone bank for the American Civil Liberties Union at The Standard Hotel’s Narcbar.

The little luxury coffee-shop style bar was filled with people of all ages. Some of which who were first timers and some who have been veterans. College aged students anxiously re-read their scripts again and again in their booths to make sure that they weren’t going to stumble their words. Old men with new laptops recounted their first phone bank about 30 years ago. Middle aged women were blistering with confidence and embracing other volunteers who they have worked with in the past, asking how they have been, and what other canvassing jobs they were doing this past election season. While the bustle is going on, several volunteers ask for a cocktail from the bar or a cup of coffee to relax before asking strangers about their state legislation.

“So, are you sure you are registered to vote?” asked one woman volunteer to the bartender.

“Yeah, but somehow I’m registered for both Massachusetts and New York,” she said while the woman was frantically searching for her voter registration status online. It turns out she was in fact only registered for New York.

These civically engaged citizens are the forefront in the effort of making Virginia voters aware of Amendment 1 on their state ballot, which may restrict a woman’s right to abortion and gives leeway for politicians to pass more laws that are restrictive and puts a woman’s life in danger.

“We just want to give voters the last final push to say no on this amendment,” said ACLU organizer and Standard Hotel employee Caitlin McConnell. Pushing against the terrors of the current administration and even at state levels, the ACLU fights these unjust causes with the help of the average citizen sacrificing a couple hours of their time.

As an hour goes past, volunteers across the whole bar are glued to their laptops reading the provided script and calling Virginia voters through the phoning service Hubdialer. Volunteers flew by some of the calls with the average call being around 30 seconds and being constantly rejected.

Many of the Virginia constituents become frustrated at the first phrase of a phone banker. After a very unsuccessful call, one volunteer expressed at the corner of the bar, “I just got off the phone with a man who said, ‘I don’t want to talk about politics with a stranger. Bye.’”

Despite these negative interactions, there are some eager voters who want to challenge the Amendment. A woman volunteer matched with a voter named Christopher who was too enthusiastic about voting no. He rambled for 5 minutes about how the administration is failing and commended the volunteer for taking the time to call him. Before reading the script and saying her last remarks, she thanked him, “I’m going to think about you when I go to the polls, Christopher.”

No Sleep ‘Till Midterms

ASTORIA DISPATCH

Astoria, Queens — On the bustling street corner of Ditmars Boulevard and 31st Street, one young woman stands out among the crowd. 26-year-old, Hind Sophia, is spotted wearing a bright blue “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez” t-shirt. Running on just a few hours of sleep, she still manages to flash a bright smile and hold a rambunctious puppy in her arms.

The pre-med, New York University alum, has taken to the streets to head the Ocasio campaign. “She’s only 28!” Hind tells of Ocasio’s success. “She’s barely older than me. And she’s going to be elected to serve in Congress.”

When Hind is not working on the Ocasio campaign, she works in a cancer research lab. “My parents wanted me to be a doctor,” she said. “Doctors help individuals. I went into research because I wanted to help a larger group of people.”

Hind got her start in the political world during Obama’s presidential campaign when she bravely canvassed door-to-door in her home state of Pennsylvania. Hind says her goal “is to work in Public Policy because that helps the largest group of people of all.”

On the gloomy Friday morning leading up to the election, Hind came prepared. Her canvas bag was overflowing with Ocasio posters, fliers, and pins in both English and Spanish.

Hundreds of people pass by, many keeping their heads down and headphones in, some refusing to even acknowledge her presence. But Hind stood on that corner, unwavering, with a smile on her face and a flyer in her hand. “It’s exhausting,” she said. “But the one person who does stop, makes this worth it.”

A mother pushing her son in a stroller stopped to tell Hind about her family traditions. “We love voting days,” she said. “Our whole family goes to vote, and then we celebrate with burgers.”

Some passerbyers, on the other hand, are not so friendly with their approach. “Communist!” A white, middle-aged man yelled to Hind from across the street. Still, the smile on her face remains. She took a deep breath, and prepared for battle. The two of them talked for quite some time before shaking hands and going their separate ways. “We need people to vote. That’s first and foremost. Who they choose to vote for comes second and I’m glad he’s voting.”  She let out a heavy sigh, exhausted from hours of rejection, and then announced, “I need to refuel. Let’s grab some coffee.”

A now fully-caffeinated Hind once again took to the streets to canvass for Ocasio, this time visiting shops and restaurants along 31st Street, asking owners and managers to put up Ocasio posters in windows. Once again, Hind was met with more “no’s” then “yes’,” but nevertheless, the smile did not leave her face. She trudged on, stopping at nothing to find the one store that would agree to put her poster in the window. “Look it’s my poster!” she exclaimed as she passed by an Ocasio poster hanging outside of a Liquor store.

“I am Muslim. I am a woman. And I represent America.” Hind says. “This is why I’m out here. I am the future.”

Election Day November 2018

“Well I vote for every election cycle but today felt especially important with the energy, and social media and the news…. I hope to see the largest voter turnout for a midterm election, especially for the youth.” – Dustin, 27, graphic designer, Lower East Side. 

Bronx Native Makes Marathons His Life

Will Willard

At 6 a.m. almost daily for six years, Sean Baez, 37-year-old Bronx native and marathon runner has grabbed a pair of running shoes from his collection and trained. He enjoys running shirtless through shady parks like Orchard Beach to show off his stomach tattoo; his name in flaming graffiti font. However, his favorite place to test his mettle is on the street where he takes pleasure in out-racing traffic.

People in his neighborhood have come to recognize him. Baez says he loves running helps him interact with people like the man and his dog who tried to keep up with him or the little boy who yelled out, “Daddy look! He’s so fast!”

In order to squeeze in more miles throughout the week, Baez turns his daily commute from the Bronx to Manhattan into training and, “another opportunity for growth.”

Baez often runs with the Brooklyn Track Club. “I wanted to push my limits, push my speed, but also hang out with people who have similar interests to keep me focused,” he said. Baez works around New York as a beer salesman.

In 2002 he joined the Bridge Runner Club to ensure, as he says, that he keep ‘going the distance’. Together he and his fellow club members have travelled to cities like Chicago and Atlanta all in the name of running bridges. Baez says he enjoyed the experience, but found constant travel exhausting.

Baez’s commitment to a runner’s lifestyle is not without sacrifice. First and foremost, he has had to withhold from the array of Hispanic-food classics his mother pushes on him. And of course a runner has no time for late nights out with friends.

Baez says his sense of self-discipline was instilled back in 1999 while serving in the US Army. Baez and his squad were made to run five miles every day and although he hated every step, he put his head down and kept at it.

Today, Baez has learned the importance of mental toughness especially in long distance. “A marathon is a different beast—you’re thinking more, your body is telling you to stop, your mind has to be stronger,” he said. “If I have to be tired, I’ll be tired.”

There’s always another marathon and he plans to work harder for next time, but for this marathon Sunday at least he can finally fill up on his mother’s pork tacos.

Baez had hoped to get a time under three hours for the marathon instead his time was 3:33:29. He says that he is completely happy with the time although he blames himself. “I didn’t train for the pace I was going. After mile 17 it was all downhill.”

Baez says that all he can do is start again and work harder for next time, but for the time being he can finally fill up on his mother’s pork tacos.

Seeing the World Through Marathons

“I was not about to be a jock,” said Scott Chow, about resisting his parents efforts to join a high school team sport. Originally drawn to the ultimate frisbee, Chow decided to join the track team to condition, deciding to pursue long distance.

And he’s never looked back. Six years later Chow, 20,  ran a time of 2:52:19 in Sunday’s TCS New York City Marathon. Chow is a Computer Science Major at the University of California Santa Barbara

Chow, who wants to see the world through running, has a goal to run the six major world marathons: Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago, Boston, London, and New York City. So far he has run the Boston Marathon and the Los Angeles Marathon twice.

At his high school in a San Francisco suburb, he was hooked on running from the first day.  “I was absolutely enthralled with it, it was addictive.” said Chow. He was obsessed with the feeling of accomplishment after a run and with watching his time drop.

However he cautions against chasing faster and faster times.“People who usually chase the time don’t last as long because they tend to hit a plateau and lose interest or get injured” Chow said.

Boston was a hard race for Chow. “I absolutely exploded, I broke on heartbreak hill,” Chow said. Heartbreak hill is a series of hills between miles 17-21 and it breaks a lot of people. He remembers thinking in the moment that he couldn’t go any more and began to walk. “It still haunts me.” said Chow.

His goal is never to simply to finish a race but to excel. Boston tested that, “I was just telling myself, I have put way too much into this, I have done way too much work, spent too much money, too much time, blood, sweat and tears to get to this point and not finish.” said Chow.

Chow finished Boston with a time of 3:16:32.

Chow starts his morning off with a run, getting up at around eight a.m to run before morning classes. He feels that it allows him to pay his health dues for the day so to speak, and then he can do what he wants, eat what he wants, for the rest of the day. Running in the morning makes everything else seem like small potatoes, Chow said.

Chow begins training for a marathon around 20 weeks before. There is the daily mileage which is to build up aerobic and anaerobic resiliency as well as resiliency One day a week is the long run which is to build endurance, usually  from 20-24 miles. 

People always tell him that 26.2 miles is an intimidating number, he doesn’t see it that way when put in perspective. “It’s hard but when you think of the 800-900 miles you run before that, 26.2 is a victory lap.” Chow said.

What drives him is the question of how far can he take his passion. “I think I’ve only scratched the surface of what I can do.” Chow said

Hundreds gather in the Bronx to celebrate Native American culture

Bobby Gonzalez (right)

For Bobby Gonzalez, embracing his Taíno heritage means preserving a part of the past often forgotten by many. For over twenty years, the Bronx native has been hosting and organizing Native American pow wows, including the Bronx Native American Festival, in the hopes of reconnecting people to their indigenous roots.

This year, hundreds gathered at Pelham Bay Park to honor and experience the vibrant spirit of the tribes that first traversed this land.

Listen to the story here:

Bronx Native American Festival 2018

“Why I Didn’t Report” rally gathers women (and men) to political and social issues

Adrianne Wright is the co-Founder of women’s action group called I Will Not Be Quiet. Wright aims to create an intimate and sacred place for women to discuss the current political and social justice issues. Wright held a rally with the group on Mon., Oct. 1 called #WHYIDIDNTREPORTIT.

Adrianne Wright, on the right, met with the co-founder of I Will Not Be Quiet, Chelsea Schuster, at Washington Square Park to set up their talking circle on Oct. 1.

Wright co-founded the women’s action group with Schuster in Brooklyn, N.Y. “I wanted to create an intimate and sacred place for women to learn political and social justice issues,” Wright said and continued, “And discuss the challenges or experiences they’ve had, without apology or interruption.”

The rally began with chanting “I will not be quiet” with the crowd and “It’s not your fault, we believe you.” The rally also included readings of anonymous accounts from women who experienced sexual misconduct and assault. Wright hopes that the group will help women feel empowered by the knowledge that they have.

Wright met up with two other women who had volunteered to share their own experiences with sexual abuse. Wright believes that most important thing about hosting a talking circle is to have an open and supportive discussion. Attendees were encouraged to step up and share their own experiences if, they felt comfortable enough to do so. By openly discussing past experiences, Wright wanted to demand belief in these accounts. “We are demanding to be believed,” Wright said and continued, “So that when we do report it, they do support it.”

A crowd began to form around Wright as she recounted the details of how she was raped at 16-years-old. Wright explained that she had been knocked unconscious by her attacker in the lobby of a hotel she was staying at. Wright was then raped by her attacker and another man. “I’m angry that I reported it and they [police officers] distorted it,” Wright said and continued, “They didn’t believe me.”

Wright, Schuster and a rally volunteer began a group reading when a passerby interrupted them to say, “But what about the nice men? Not all men are bad. You can’t say all men behave like this.” In order to maintain the flow of the demonstration, Wright had asked him to keep all questions for the end of the rally. The man proceeded to move to back of the crowd and then walk away.

16th Annual Autumn Moon Festival

Mott Street bustled with lion dances, a parading dragon, and traditional performers to celebrate the mid-autumn harvest season and reap good luck and prosperity. Better Chinatown USA, a volunteer-based organization, hosted the event.

Chinatown, NYC