Author Archives: Katti Gray
How to Diversify NYC’s Elite Schools
By Rainier Harris Spectrum staff At Manhattan’s elite Stuyvesant High School, only 10 out of the 766 admitted students in the 2020-21 freshman class were Black. At Staten Island Technical, another of New York City’s eight competitive, specialized high schools, this year, only a single black student — in a freshman class of roughly 1,320 […]
Small Landlords: Covid-19 Hit Us, Too
By David Wang Spectrum staff When the Covid-19 pandemic hit New York, government officials made protecting tenants a legislative priority. For tenants unable to pay their rent, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a moratorium on evictions until August 20. But now landlords across the state are arguing that government policies are putting them in […]
A Push to Disarm Auxiliary Police
By Maya Mitchell Spectrum staff Pushed by local teen and young adult activists who want to disarm the Maplewood Police Department Police Auxiliary, made up of volunteers, the Maplewood Town Council voted in late July to suspend the force for 90 days. By a 3-to-2 vote, the town’s Public Safety Committee, which includes the chief of police, […]
How “Cancel Culture” Blasted a Boy
By Natalie Villacres Spectrum staff From where he sat on a concrete bench in a Queens park, he rocked back and forth. Nervous, his hands shook as he spoke his answers into the microphone. “It was pretty traumatic, a little bit. Pretty traumatic.” The 15-year old boy was recounting the backlash he faced after he […]
Club Spreads Korean Culture
By Serin Koh Staff writer “Welcoming, wholesome . . .” She looked up at the ceiling, sighs, then, laughs as she ponders. “Oh, and fun.” Christine Kim slammed her hands together in one solitary clap, accentuating her descriptions of the Korean Student Association of NYU. KSA, as the students refer to it, is part of […]
Dance as Art and Therapy
By Francesca Fierro Staff writer For Di’Anna Bonomolo, Sohel Bagai and Selena Zhang, participants in the month-long Tisch Summer High School Dance program, dance is more than an extracurricular activity. It’s been a form of therapy. “I have suffered with anxiety and PTSD from events like my dad’s departure from my family and sexual assault. […]
For Teens, Fewer Summer Jobs
By Tylan Porterfield Staff writer For teens, finding a summer job can be hard to do. “Even if you apply for a fast-food restaurant, companies are looking for prior experience,” said Maddison Harris, 17, of the Bronx. This summer, she is working as a camp counselor at the Bronx Melrose Classic, a position she landed […]
To Wear Hijab or Not?
By Hannan Abdul-Kadiri Staff writer Fatima Hussari, 14, has her reasons for donning a hijab every day. “Wearing my hijab helps me remember to be good,” she said. Noga Lo, 45, has her reasons for not doing so. “Any religion that you follow, you should follow with your heart. And if I wear the hijab, […]
When Underwear Becomes Outerwear
By Mariyum Raina Rizwan Staff Writer High school senior Ava Kazevani was sifting through the racks at Urban Outfitters, scanning some of the clothing that her parents don’t believe she should be seen wearing on the streets. “My parents never seen me wear that [lingerie] and they wouldn’t let me because they find it’s far […]
Fake Eyelashes. An “Addiction?”
By Jiwon Estee Yi Staff writer The eyelash technician taped a small white pad, shaped like a half-moon, under her client’s bottom row of eyelashes. With the help of an extra-bright overhead light and tweezers, the technician, one by one, isolated each of her client’s natural lashes. Atop each natural lash, she glued on […]
Students: Not Working is Not an Option
By Aniya Greene Staff Writer A student asked her for a roll of toilet paper. “Sure,” Ra Carroll answered, from where she sat behind the welcome desk at Palladium Hall dormitory. For handing out toilet paper and door keys, pointing summer guests at that NYU dorm toward the best pizzeria and performing other duties, Carroll […]
Young Adults Tackle Justice Reform
By Zegale Talmadge Staff writer Eight years ago, when he was 17, Alex Davis was convicted of robbery and assault. Instead of being sent to prison, he spent a month at Rikers Island Correctional Facility and, afterward, began seven years on parole. “I was really depressed when I came out,” Davis said. “I had a […]
Soccer for City Kids
By Ryan Marrus Staff writer Instead of continuing as a Wall Street stockbroker or an English teacher in Italy, Paul Jeffries, who’d played soccer as a kid in Britain, chose to work full-time in a youth soccer program in New York. “What was the problem that I could help solve?” Jeffries asked himself as he […]
Peddling Poetry–On Demand
By Mikaela Querido Staff Writer Mira Rosenkotz’s handwritten sign, made of poster board and Magic Marker, announces what she’s peddling. “POEMS …Your topic…Your price.” A customer asks Rosenkotz to convey her first impressions of the stranger standing in front of her. Rosenkotz pauses, getting her bearings. She begins, her fingers working the keyboard. Tch-tch-cha-tch-tch-cha … […]
Sidewalk Booksellers Still in Business
By Shreya Paul Staff writer At the start of his workday, on the corner of East 14th Street and Irving Place, Carlos Espada transfers books from cardboard and plastic boxes to a folding table and upside-down milk crates he’s arranged on the sidewalk. The books are for sale. He and his wife, Karina Gushiken, have […]
Galleries Fight to Stay Open
By Samantha Alzate Staff Writer Sitting at a work bench in his West 10th Street art gallery, sandwiched between an alley and a hair salon, Numan Jalallari takes in the view of the people passing by. He waits for someone to come inside. “I don’t see what I used to see,” said Jalallari, owner of […]
“Rising Leaders,” a Peer-to-Peer Project
By Olivia Chen Staff writer The 15 trainees, aged 11 to 14, listened and learned as their three instructors, aged 18 to 19, schooled them on how to debate the pros and cons of a topic. That day’s make-believe topic was vanilla ice cream. What, asked Abigail Neely, 18, if vanilla was the color and […]
Youth Show “God’s Love” For Puerto Rico
By Lelah Tekhna Staff writer Before leaving Manhattan to help rebuild some of what Hurricane Maria tore down in Puerto Rico, 11 youth from Middle Collegiate Church researched what they might expect to see. Even so, Christian Unthank, 13, said nothing prepared those kids from that East Village congregation for what they saw. “This was […]
College-bound, but Forging My Own Path
By Samuel Hyland Staff writer I’ve seen it for myself. Anxious and fretting, a college applicant—a high school senior who’s related to me—ran down a flight of stairs, flung open the front door and searched the mailbox for an important letter about where she’d spend the next four years of her academic life. The letter […]
After Hurricane, Teens Build New Lives in NY
By Marcos De Paula Staff writer After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, high school students Nestor Ortiz, 17, and Abdiel Miranda, 19, moved to New York City with their families. In their new city, life has been full of surprises and hardships. “It was a blessing,” Ortiz said recalling his thoughts when he first landed […]
Performers Ease Subway Commute
By Wilmer Ortiz Staff writer Benjamín Schnake Gálvez sat on a chair, playing a six-stringed guitar at the Union Square station. Into a microphone, he sang a mellow song in Spanish that was broadcast through a small amplifier. He is one of the performers sanctioned by the Metropolitan Transit Authority Arts & Design project. Its […]
“Colorblind” Church Wants Diversity
By Samuel Hyland Staff writer Since the Bible Crusade Assembly of God opened its East Village branch in the 1970s, the core of its mission has been to make sure its membership is racially diverse. It’s still working to reach that goal. “We don’t want this to be a black temple or a white temple,” […]
Litefeet Dancers Part of Hip-hop Lineage
By Grace Oladunni Staff writer “Clap your hands, clap your hands … ” Those lyrics were thumping hard out of a loud speaker. A solo dancer, encircled by a crowd of other dancers, was showing off his new skills. He wasn’t this good when he started out doing Litefeet, one of the latest forms of […]
Handball Thrives Still on West 4th Court
By Aidan McHenry Staff Reporter Eric Santiago started playing handball in the streets of his native Brooklyn, with his four brothers, back in the 1970s. Though the 50-year-old retired from playing professional handball he’s still enjoying the sport, competing along a snatch of West Fourth Street that is better known for basketball. “To get […]
Doctors Protest ICE Detention Centers
By Swathi Kella Staff writer “Migration is a human right.” “We see cruelty.” “Deportations are taking our neighborhoods away.” That’s how signs read during a mid-July protest in Foley Square over the deaths of seven children at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities on the nation’s southern border. Critics have condemned the facilities as unsanitary and […]
Indian Eateries Duel for Diners
By Amal Khateeb Spectrum staff The two men stood in front of the respective doorways of their side-by-side restaurants, beckoning diners. “Come in, come in,” the first guy said, waving at people passing by. “No, no, no, this is the one,” the other said, waving, too. From the steps of the single stairway leading […]
Iconic Theater Aims for New Audiences
By Hannah Hur Spectrum staff Since May, Film Forum, one of the nation’s handful of non-profit movie theaters, has been outfitted with tiered stadium seating to give its ticket-buyers more leg room, comfort and better sight-lines. These and other improvements are part of a $6 million renovation that Film Forum directors hope will provide a […]
A Performance Space of Their Own
By Samhitha Saiba Spectrum staff Four women glide across a black floor, bodies twisting and leaning into one another under a pink glow of light. Audience members watch from the edges of the room, some rising every now and then to drift to a different corner. Their eyes stay trained on the dancers. It’s closing […]
Tackling Anti-Muslim, Anti-Immigrant Bias
By Vanessa Handy Spectrum staff The sound of feet shuffling toward seats subsides. The lights dim. The chit-chat of a waiting audience goes silent. The piercing screech of the sole microphone on stage fills the room. The first performer, a woman wearing a hijab, steps to the mic, sighs and opens her mouth. I am […]
Off B’way Playhouse Crowdsources Funds
By Juliana Guarracino Spectrum staff Money has gotten so tight at Off Broadway’s Theatre 80, which doubles as an East Village performance space and a community meeting house, that it has launched a Go Fund Me campaign to raise $70,000. “When you kill the entertainment industry here, when you turn New York into a cultural […]