Lifestyle & Culture
Even as Teen Births Drop, Teen Moms Still Exist and Sometimes Struggle
By Emmanuella Agyemang The second and last time her father kicked her out of the house, 17-year-old Melody Mota and her son, Aiden, who was 6-months-old, got sent to live with relatives in the Dominican Republic. She’s been there since January, mostly cut off from her New York family and struggling to get by on […]
Social Media Sites Can Be a Safe Haven and a Place to Show-and-Tell
By Felicity Robles Within a span of about 20 minutes, Hala Kurbeh watched her TikTok video showing the jeans, shirts, tops and necklaces she’d bought at an online clothing store rack up 79,000 likes and 280,000 views. “I was not used to my videos blowing up … ” said New Jerseyite Kurbeh, 16. “So many […]
In the Park — With, and Without, Masks
By Tenzin Lama Spectrum staff After quarantine had left children and adults antsy from spending so much time indoors, people who recently made their way to Windmuller Park in Woodside, Queens were having lots of fun outdoors — even though many didn’t wear masks or social distance. “This is the most crowded I’ve ever seen […]
Public Garden Soothes Amid Pandemic
By Ama Anwar Spectrum staff After being closed for more than four months, the 250-acre New York Botanical Garden re-opened to the public on July 28. Eileen Vurgos, a social worker from the Upper West Side, was one of the first people to glide through its entrance gates. After so many months either under quarantine […]
A Retired Cop Joins Black Lives Matter
By Paige Gibbs Spectrum staff Rose Facey’s 27 years as a sworn officer of the New York Police Department gave her a close-up view of what can and does go wrong in American policing. And that’s why, at 69, she has joined Black Lives Matter protesters — at three separate rallies, so far — who […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Where the Kicks Can Cost Up to $60,000 …
By Jeffrey Kone Spectrum staff Shoppers at Flight Club’s Manhattan store—the company’s other outlet is in Los Angeles—say they step into that sneaker spot because it’s the only place of its kind in New York City. Some of those sneaker-lovers just browse the shelves where price tags on a pair footwear are as high as […]
Author Reflects on Gay Pride, Progress, the Work Ahead
By Alexandra Aguirre Spectrum staff It’s been 20 years since Emanuel Xavier conceived and edited Pier Queen, an anthology of poems about what it means to be gay and to catch hell because of that. “The world isn’t always kind, especially to people like me,” said Xavier, 41, a full-time poet, author, editor and gay […]
Striving to Cook Up Authentic Chinese Food
By Celina Zhou Spectrum staff Delicacies like chicken feet and century eggs are familiar fare to many Chinese immigrant and Chinese-American people, but unheard of by many Americans. Some restaurants in New York City, however, make these dishes available to anyone willing to try. Under the experienced eye of Joe Si, founder and owner of […]
Getting Physical: a Vinyl Records Resurrection
By Avery Kim Spectrum staff [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVuFnqJi1d4[/youtube]By the time he got a job selling vinyl at A1 Records in lower Manhattan, Josh Burns had spent 20 years hanging out at that East Village music hotspot, with its vinyl album-covered walls. He knows A1’s longtime regulars and the new, young collectors who “oftentimes are not really sure […]
A Guy in Gal’s Clothes “Shatters the Glass Floor”
By Hezekiah Ortiz Spectrum staff [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nasamYmHy3A[/youtube]That recent summer afternoon, Nick Fazzino, 21, was decked out in leopard print loafers, toting a Louis Vuitton pocketbook and, on his left hand, sporting a Tiffany ring shaped like a unicorn. His nails were glossy with a French-manicure. His face was done up in Chanel Foundation No. 40. If […]
Jewelry that Connects Cultures
By Alexis Davis Spectrum staff When Alzerina Gomes was 20 years old and scrubbing toilets in a French flat, her employer—a woman who, at the time, was a Swarovski crystal creative director—asked her a question. “Do you model?” said Gomes, 44, founder of Alzerina jewelry, sitting in her Upper East Side apartment and remembering what […]
Natural Hair Care Product Industry Grows as Itty-bitty Afros, Locs, Et Cetera Gain Popularity
By Dieynaba Dieng Spectrum staff [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jn7oM9zylI[/youtube] Additional Camera: Avery Kim By the time Tracy Brown walked into Miss Jessie’s salon in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood five years ago, she’d had enough of her dry, damaged, chemically over-processed black woman’s hair. So, she did “the big chop.” “I couldn’t take it anymore,” said Brown, whose currently […]
How One Church Draws Younger Parishioners
By Sophia Segarra Spectrum staff By several measures, Hillsong church is atypical. There’s a band—playing Christian music infused with country, rock and other genres—instead of hymnals and a robed choir. Ripped up jeans, Converse, and crop tops are permitted here. Instead of a pulpit, there’s a stage lit in multi-colored beams. “I feel like other […]
Wait, Let Me Post That
With Social-media-capable smartphones in so many pockets, many companies are using Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat not only to interact with their customer base, but as a marketing tool to promote their brand and increase their sales. “We use Instagram for customers to find out about promotions and new tea tastings,” said Gina Gillim, 36, […]
Street Performers: It’s Not Just About the Money
Street performances allow for artists to express themselves freely. Street performers have been a part of New York City’s street culture since the 19th century; a culture that is immersed in the everyday life of a New Yorker. Whether it’s singing on the streets, dancing in the subway or playing drums in the park, street […]
Tasting at a Dumpster Diver’s Table
Gio Andollo opened his plastic container of homemade treats. “Feel free to try some if you want,” he told me and Langston Barboza, another Urban Journalism Workshop 2014 reporter. “I just had a plate of bacon. So, no thanks,” Langston said, backing away from the snacks Mr. Andollo had made of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and […]
Thrifty Spenders Help Finance Charitable Work
Those who shop at certain thrift stores are doing more than just adding to their wardrobe or their home’s decor. What those shoppers put into the cash register at several of their favorite thrift stores winds up helping people in need. One of those operations is Cure Thrift Shop, a non-profit on East 12th Street […]
Award-winning Designer, 18, is Making Her Mark
Of all the clothes her models paraded on the runway during a mid-July fashion show, the one designer Hadassa Dorcean liked best was a curb-hugging, ankle-length skirt, topped with a matching black-and-gold knit top. “It was the inspiring piece to my other pieces, and it fits the body so well,” said Dorcean, 18, a 2014 […]
Sit Down, Start Talking (With Strangers)
Weekend photographer Jorge Ortiz III, 24, was walking through Manhattan snapping pictures one Saturday in October 2013 when he spotted a group of men and women sitting on couches in front of the Jacob Javits Center—which is an odd place for a couch to be. “I walked over to check it out,” said Ortiz, a […]
Sharing Experiences Through “Strangers Project” Stories
“Everyone has a story.” That is the premise of the Strangers Project, which has collected a trove of handwritten stories from people enticed by Brandon Doman’s three-dimensional cardboard sign. It reads “Hi there, I’m collecting your stories.” In locations including Manhattan’s Washington Square Park, Doman, 28, displays his sign to attract what he estimates are […]
Church Invites, Supports NYC Collegians
The preacher and an usher greeted people filing into Grace Church on a Sunday summer evening. The evening service was for those who are regulars at that West Village congregation, but also had a special purpose. “We cater to students who want to be close to God,” said the Rev. Mary Cat Young, a chaplain […]
Despite Barriers, “Dumpster Diving” for Eats Goes On
Although it’s less possible than it used to be to “dumpster dive” for food that grocery stores throw in the trash, some diehard divers say they’re determined to keep scavenging. They do face some obstacles. For example, the Trader Joe’s supermarket on Sixth Avenue, near 23rd Street, has been increasing its donations to food pantries, […]
Tattooing Minors May be Easy, but It’s Illegal
Rebecca Shin walked into a West Village tattoo and piercing parlor and asked to get a piercing. After telling them her age—she was 16 at the time—a worker proceeded to pierce her navel. No one the St. Mark’s Place shop—whose name Shin said she doesn’t remember—asked for her parents’ consent. In New York State, that’s […]
Handed-down Art Brings Henna Designer Earnings and Cultural Pride
The thick paste cascades down skin, leaving a trail. As hours go by, the drying paste turns to a granulated, printed design. That design is known as henna, an art form and body ornament that got its start in the Middle East and North Africa. When Ditiksha Nanavaty was a little girl, her mother […]
Wiccans Defend their Modern Version of Ancient Religious Traditions
On a small patch of grass in Tompkins Square Park, 17 members of the New York City Wiccan Family Temple walked around a red altar, burning incense and chanting. “Circle ‘round the fire to raise a cone of power, to bring what we desire. So mote it be,” they repeated, clapping at the end of […]
LGBTQ Youth: YES Center Encourages Us to Be Ourselves
When Kevin Crespo was growing up in Brooklyn, he got the impression from neighborhood kids and his relatives that boys were expected to be macho. Crespo said he had a hard time meeting that expectation. “I feel like they [think] less of me. Like, I have to prove myself [in] some way, shape or form ” […]
“Dress-up Jesus” Magnets Stir Conversation and Controversy
Robert Hain has made blasphemy his business. When Hain created his first Jesus dress-up doll in the early 1990s, they were made of paper and paired with a slew of paper outfits: A football uniform, bunny slippers, ultra-short denim cutoffs, bellbottom pants. In 2004, Hain turned the paper dolls into purple, fuschia, devil-red and other […]