Community
One church’s 132 years of justice, arts activism
By Jordan Gay Pointing to a decades-old fountain on the corner of Washington Square South and Thompson Street, Keen Berger, 80, gives some background on Judson Memorial Church, the congregation she joined 42 years ago. “That little corner thing that has the spigot, it used to have water,” said Berger, who chairs Judson’s board of […]
Skateboarders demanded a space of their own
By Tarak Jayachandran It’s 5 p.m on a Friday in July in the East Village. The sky is overcast. The National Weather Service has registered the day’s high at 96 degrees, 10 degrees above the norm for this time of year in New York City. The skaters pile in, mainly guys, but also one girl. […]
“Flushing Community Fridge” Bonds Neighbors, While Filling Hungry Bellies
By Nicole Wong Thrilled to provide fresh produce, hygiene products, and other necessities to community members free of charge, rising high school seniors Kaitlyn Noemi and Isabel Noemi are celebrating the launch of the Flushing Community Fridge. Mutual aid finds strength in communities by ensuring that those most affected by issues like poverty are also […]
Churches Create Safe Ways to Worship, Serve Communities During Covid-19
By Baijun “Jack” Jiang Spectrum staff Unable to gather for worship in the sanctuary, youth leaders of Bethany Church sang and prayed from the rooftop of the Wyckoff, N.J., building where, before a pandemic, they usually gathered indoors. The people for they whom sang and prayed either sat inside or stood beside vehicles in the […]
Supporting Community via Social Media
By Shruti Vadada Spectrum staff Using proceeds from a GoFundMe campaign that attracted, among other donors, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, one youth group donated 200 masks and 400 medical gowns to a nursing home. Another youth organization has partnered with several public libraries on Long Island to teach seniors, via Zoom, how to stream […]
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 […]
“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,” […]
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 […]
Selling Chess Sets, Creating a Community
By Ryan Kim Spectrum staff Chess pieces clack against tabletop chess boards with peeling paint and scratched wood. The sound of orchestral strings streams in. Seated on opposing sides of the boards, the chess players murmur. They ponder their next move. Standing behind what doubles as a display case and sales counter at Chess Forum, […]
Activists: “Families Belong Together”
By Isabella Calix Spectrum staff Lee el version del Espanol aqui The woman’s story silenced the room. She is a wife, a mother of two and a registered nurse studying for her masters degree. She has built a life in the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents already took her passport. They have […]
Cemetery for Powerful, Prominent Hosts Open House
By Trin Caviness Spectrum staff About 46,000 people die every year in New York City. But at the historic New York City Marble Cemetery, an exclusive burial site for the famous or the rich or the cemetery’s founders, just one or two bodies go into the ground annually. Unless your departed loved ones meet those requirements, […]
LES Club Grooms Girls for Better Future
By Mia Wright Spectrum staff Minutes before boarding a bus bound upstate for Camp Fowler, 50 members of the Lower East Side Girls Club were grabbing their bags and saying their good-byes. They were chatty, darting about and downright giddy. “Traveling with my friends helped me grow without my mother there,” said camper Denise Bates,13, […]
Finding Homes for Abused, Abandoned Animals
By Nina Curran Spectrum staff Approximately 1.5 million animals in kill shelters are euthanized every year, according to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Social Tees Animal Rescue, a no-kill shelter in the East Village, is working to change that. Enter the shelter’s 325 E. Fifth St. home and, to the left […]
Arts-based Activism at Loisaida Aims to Stop “Harmful” Changes to the Lower East Side
By Lisseth Aguilar Spectrum staff Walking down a stretch of Third Avenue on the Lower East Side, the street scenes transform from those of people wining-and-dining at outdoor cafes to community gardens smack in the middle of blocks of sometimes rundown apartment buildings and homeless people camped out on the sidewalk. Persons with less money […]
Comfort Food: “God’s Love” Gives Meals to Thousands of Sick People
By Jisu Choi Spectrum staff God’s Love We Deliver, a non-profit organization that cooks and delivers meals to the sick, started in 1985, when Ganga Stone brought food to an AIDS patient. That one act of kindness turned into many more just like it. Volunteer Chuck Piekarski‘s last name means “baker” in Polish. He’s been […]
Dog Pee Kills Trees (Really)
By Karoline Xiong Spectrum staff So, you think dog urine is top-grade tree fertilizer? Huh? Think again. Dog pee’s a killer. Dog urine taints soil and, thereby, the stuff that grows from the soil in a couple a ways, said Sam Bishop, 37, education director and arborist for Trees New York. “It’s either nitrates in […]
Ever-rising Rents Drive Longtime, Lower-income Residents from Lower Manhattan
By Justin Chae Spectrum staff [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fBp7ptCKNM[/youtube] Additional footage and camera: Avery Kim More than 6,000 Chinese and Chinese American residents left historic Chinatown between 1990 and 2010—many of them because rents have risen faster than their salaries. In the neighboring Lower East Side, rising rents have caused similar changes. “The Latino population has gone down […]
East Village Organizations Work to Preserve Traditional Theater
La Plaza Cultural Community Garden, a community garden and non-profit organization in the heart of the East Village, hosts free events for people of all ages throughout the spring and summer to cultivate culture and a sense of community. In July, Tale Told Productions used the garden space to perform their interpretation of William Shakespeare’s […]
The Bowery Mission Makes A Dent In The Homeless Community
The bright red doors of The Bowery Mission in New York’s East Village offer a gateway to a new life for homeless in the area. Men and women between the ages of 25 and 60 visit the site on Bowery and Prince Street that not only offers food and shelter, but also provides clothing, showers, […]