Lifestyle & Culture
‘Drag Story Hour’ combats homophobia, gender-identity biases
By Huria Ali The hate she received when she was 22, made Gloria Sotelo Quijano feel like she should stop being Lori Lu, the drag artist she turned into for performances and bookings for Drag Story Hour. “They will say very misogynistic, homophobic and even sometimes transphobic comments towards me … I got very, very […]
Books can provide escape, lessen stress
By Autumn Turner Jordyn Oksenstein, 16, sticks a blue Post-it on each page of author Emily Henry’s “Beach Read” which marks a favorite moment for January Andrews, the main character of that novel, one of the 13 books Oksenstein expects to read this year. That character, a romance writer, loses her faith in love after […]
Self-styled, self-defined Muslim women
By Liyana Illyas Djenabou Diallo’s loose blue jeans were paired with a long-sleeve, flowy white shirt and a cornflower blue hijab. Mariam Sayeed wore her cream-colored, three-quarter-length sleeved T-shirt with blue jeans and a periwinkle colored hijab. Both are Muslim, dressed to reflect their religious beliefs that women should be more covered up in public, […]
Managing pet anxiety as life returns to normal
By Audrey Yoo While staying home all day may have been the worst part of the pandemic for some, it was a real treat for many pets. “They loved having somebody home all the time because they got tons of attention,” Magdalena Kusio, founder of My Wagging Gang, said of the four-legged creatures her staff […]
Yoga, arts, community on St. Mark’s Place
By Jessica Romero Silver On the fourth floor, some among the dancers who’d assembled for a fundraiser made small talk, while a dachshund scurried about, darting from room to room. On the third floor, the two instrumentalists of The Royal Green Rangers, with their concert over, were trying to hug each and every person in […]
A worker-owned LGBTQ bookstore
By Carl Tsegah The air is crisp as Merlin Sabal opens the door to the BlueStockings Cooperative Bookstore. The morning sun illuminates a flag near the entrance whose rainbow colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, signifying the LGBTQ community. Sabal, 28, has spent the last four years as one of the owners […]
Screentime: How much is too much?
By Christian Payne Eighty-seven percent of Americans owned a smartphone, according to Pew Research Center. They spend an average of 5.4 hours a day on those devices, according to Verizon, which also warns of smartphone addiction and notes research linking smartphone overuse to anxiety and other behavioral health problems. And 47% of Americans admitted that […]
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 […]