El Fondo para Trabajadores Excluídos de Nueva York permitió a los inmigrantes indocumentados pagar deudas, ayudar a sus familias y comenzar sus propios negocios. Este artículo fue publicado en asociación […]
Posted inPolitics
The future of gun laws in New York
There’s little to say that hasn’t been said about the sheer horror of the events in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, over the past two weeks. In quick succession, two 18-year-old gunmen used semi-automatic rifles lightly modified from those in active military use to murder dozens of people — 10 adults outside of the Tops supermarket in the former, and 19 children and two adults in the Robb Elementary School in the latter.
Posted inPolitics
Congressional Redistricting: An Explainer
This year is a big year for elections in New York City. In the June 28 primary election, voters will be picking candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and assembly members; and for the August 23 primary, congressional and state senate candidates are up for election. Because of redistricting, familiar candidates have found themselves in different districts altogether. Understanding redistricting is key to knowing the impact of your vote. This year, redistricting of Congress has been quite a mess and many people are not happy because some districts have been merged while others have been separated.
Posted inFeatured Artist
Lawre Stone
This week we welcome Lawre Stone. Stone was raised in New Jersey, and remembers painting the iridescent colors of a polluted sky and the oil slicked Passaic River from her childhood […]
Posted inFeatures
How one good neighbor is helping hundreds of mothers stay out of poverty
New York’s increasing rent and food prices have made it difficult for the average single New Yorker to afford to live within the five boroughs; around 53% of New Yorkers are rent-burned, which means they spend over 30% of their paycheck on rent alone. The cost of living in New York City is even more burdensome for young low-income expectant mothers. While these mothers are trying to do the best they can to provide for their babies, it is impossible to set them up for success while living in poverty. Holly Fogle runs Nido de Esperanza, a nonprofit that seeks to break the cycle of poverty by providing additional care during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. She says the first 1,000 days are the most important in terms of growth and development, and by financially helping women during their first years as mothers, a child’s life will be impacted greatly.
Posted inSmall Biz Spotlight
Chinatown’s Sun’s Organic Garden brews up unique teas
Natalie Hsieh used to work in finance before becoming Chinatown’s “Tea Lady.” She worked in downtown Manhattan throughout her youth and was working only a few blocks away from the Twin Towers when the 9/11 attack happened. When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the air quality in Lower Manhattan was good, she went back to work. For a long time, she didn’t see any health effects that might’ve stemmed from 9/11, however, over the years she began experiencing some issues. Hsieh wanted to learn how to holistically improve her health when she discovered Sun’s Organic Garden, a tea shop.
Posted inPolitics
The uphill battle Democrats face
Epicenter mostly focuses on New York City politics but today we begin occasionally zooming out at the national picture, given upcoming midterm elections.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Democrats are facing a pretty bleak picture going into the midterms. In general, the party of the president in office tends to face headwinds at the midpoint of his term, if only because voters tend to place anything bad that’s happened in the interim directly at his feet.
Posted inSchools
From being homeless to creating school curriculums
Actor Dayo Olatokun went from sleeping in his car in Los Angeles to creating a four-week arts program for NYC students. The artist realized he wanted to use his experience to help youth identify their passions early to avoid becoming a struggling artist. So, Olatokun founded the nonprofit organization GPA—the Gifted & Purposed Alliance.
Posted inSchools
New program for dyslexia
Mayor Eric Adams has announced his plan to support students with dyslexia in NYC public schools. The DOE will now screen all students in kindergarten through second grade for literacy three times a year by educational company Acadience Learning. Students in 3rd through 10th grades will also be screened three times a year, but by a screener option chosen by the principal. Students who continue to perform below the benchmark will then be screened for dyslexia and other language-based disabilities.
Posted inSchools
Schools are worried about enrollment declines
Through Fair Student Funding (FSF), NYC schools receive funding based on their enrollment numbers. But with enrollment declines as a result of the pandemic, this formula was temporarily halted. While the DOE will allocate some federal funding to supplement the loss in funding due to decreased enrollment over the next two years, schools are still nervous about what their budgets will ultimately look like.
