My daughter graduated from high school last week, after 11.5 years in NYC public schools. She initially spent a half-year in Universal Pre Kindergarten (UPK), then we moved to Los Angeles for sixth grade (also enrolled in public schools there) and returned to finish seventh through 12th grade in the city.
Posted inArts
On Sam Gilliam
The pioneering artist Sam Gilliam passed away last weekend at age 88. Epicenter’s artistic director Nitin Mukul reflects on his experience meeting him and the profound impact it had.
Posted inFeatured Artist
Guido Garaycochea
This week we welcome Guido Garaycochea. Garaycochea was born in Lima, Peru, where he studied art at the Escuela Nacional Superior de Bellas Artes del Perú. In 1992, he moved […]
Posted inFood Insecurity
New York City food banks struggle to meet rising demand
At the pandemic’s peak, thousands of New Yorkers received help from food pantries across the five boroughs. Photos of hundreds of people standing in line at food pantries with empty carts and shopping bags waiting to be filled circulated on the internet — people were hungry and food pantries were there to help. Two years later, photos of long food pantry lines are no longer circulating, but it doesn’t mean the lines are any shorter and there isn’t a food crisis. Food pantries across the five boroughs are struggling to help the many New Yorkers in need amid the rise in food prices for even the most basic food staples.
Posted inPolitics
Tis the season to vote, then vote, and finally vote again
You may have heard that there’s early voting for “the primary” underway, with election day itself happening next Tuesday, June 28. What you might not have been aware of is that this is actually “a primary,” as this year we get the pleasure of two of them before expected state and federal general elections this November.
Posted inSchools
Weapons seized
As the country is still reeling over the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Eyewitness News has shared that NYC school safety agents have confiscated 5,931 weapons from students this year. Those weapons include ‘brass knuckles, stun guns, knives, metal pipes— and 24 guns.
Posted inSchools
Drag Queen Storytime
If you’ve been on social media at all over the last few weeks, then you may have seen some of the latest controversy over a program that sends drag queens into schools and libraries. The program was started in 2015 in an effort to, “inspire a love of reading, while teaching deeper lessons on diversity, self-love and an appreciation of others.” Some folks were outraged when they found out that taxpayer money was being used to fund the city contracts for the storytimes to take place at schools, libraries and street festivals.
Posted inSchools
Parents and students rally against admission policies
On Friday, a group called Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum Education gathered 100 parents and students for a rally against the current high school admission policies. While the new policies have helped increase diversity at some of the city’s top high schools, families of top students who did not make it into their top choice schools are not happy about the changes.
Posted inCovid-19
We asked a doctor about Covid vaccines for the youngest humans and the semantics around boosters right now
This week, the U.S. begins another vaccine rollout after weekend approval by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for the youngest group yet. The Moderna vaccine will be administered in two doses to children six months to 5 years old. Pfizer will be administered in three doses for children ages six months to 4 years old.
Posted inFeatured Artist
Miah Artola
This week we welcome Miah Artola, an interdisciplinary artist, editor, and faculty member of the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Artola creates interactive installations that combine her paintings and drawings with […]
