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With a relentless barrage of harrowing headlines in the news, many drift between somberness, bitterness, and learned helplessness. But when news broke out about the California wildfires, collectives across the U.S. turned to fundraising, donating, and promoting emergency shelters. Advocacy didn’t stop there, however, as many organizations—some very close to campus—held benefit concerts. In Brooklyn, […]
Social Justice
Searching for a New Home, New York LGTBI Asylum Seekers Find Old Discrimination in their Diasporas
For many Russian migrants with little to no English knowledge, the Russian-speaking community in Brighton Beach, a coastline neighborhood in Coney Island, Brooklyn, is the best chance to get a job and start a new life in New York. But for Simon, a trans man from Moscow who is seeking asylum in the US, it […]
From voucher to home – a long time coming
NEW YORK – The first day Reverend Matthew Burke, 67, got the keys to his apartment in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, was the first day he was admitted to the hospital. He stayed for a week, having to get two of his toes amputated on his right foot, before returning to his apartment. Now, he’s sitting […]
Prop One sparks a new conversation about a long-standing struggle for equal rights in New York
In June of 1969, across the nation, all eyes were on the LGBTQ+ rioters outside Stonewall Inn. Police barricaded the bar while protesters fought back. It was intense. It was fierce. It was the start of the gay liberation movement. Fifty-five years later, New York is experiencing somewhat of a déjà vu. Just blocks away […]
Struggling Between States: How Low-Income Students Lose Medicaid While Attending College Out of State
Medicaid is a federal and state program that assists low-income individuals and families to cover medical expenses. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 7 million people are enrolled in the New York State Medicaid, and one out of four adults ages 19-64 are Medicaid members. Ironically, there’s a particular group of individuals that has […]
Ezras Nashim’s Chief Operating Officer on personal life, work and balancing it all
It was a gloomy Friday in April and, for the first time, I entered the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. I was dressed in typical journalist fashion, wearing black trousers, a modest top and brown blazer — a contrast to the traditional garments worn in this tight-knit ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. I was there to meet […]
A Story of Injustice: The Unlawful Sterilization of Romani Women
In 1990, human rights activist Elena Gorolová, a Czech Romani woman, found herself in a moment of vulnerability at Vitkovice Hospital. Sedated from childbirth, she was coerced into signing papers for sterilization, unaware of its implications. Only later did she ask the attending doctor: “What is sterilization?” In response, she received an answer that would […]
How Thrifting Could Save the World
Two girls giggle by a clothes rack that reads “Women’s long sleeves,” clothes draped across their arms as they weave through shelves of semi-worn garments. A schoolgirl with a bulky book bag peeks over at the tattered record section while waiting in line for the fitting room. A guy convinces his friend to buy the […]
Animal Testing Is Inaccurate and Scientists Should Use Alternative Methods
Here’s something you probably don’t know: over 90% of drugs that prove safe and effective in animal trials fail when they’re tried on humans. In 30% of those cases, the failure is because of harmful side effects, but the other 60% flop simply because humans are different from mice, dogs, and other species widely used […]
From Catwalk to Cause: The story of Julie Anderson’s “Feminine Collective”
This is the story of Julie Anderson, a supermodel and the creator of Feminine Collective, a place for women to share their stories as the antithesis of what mainstream media offers women today. The story delves deep into Julie’s childhood and career, and how she established Feminine Collective from her experience.