ISSUE NO. 44 | HOME ALONE
Researchers have found that loneliness is just as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. In this episode, we gear up for the long winter by looking at the many ways we understand loneliness and how this new era of social isolation has impacted it.
Issue No. 40 | Retrofuturism
Retrofuturism is the past's vision of the future — that is, it's what previous generations imagined the future would look like. The term first reportedly appeared in a jewellery ad by Bloomingdales in 1983, and has now inspired a movement of artists, musicians, designers, filmmakers and even architects to channel the technological aspirations of yesterday.
Issue no. 39 | NYC Nightlife United
Back in March, New York City shut down bars, restaurants and nightclubs to curb the coronavirus pandemic, leaving hundreds of thousands of workers and freelancers without income and livelihood. Enter NYC Nightlife United: an emergency relief fund not only for venues, but also for the artists, producers, and employees that work at them with a primary focus on supporting BIPOC-owned and led businesses, who create safe spaces for BIPOC and the LGBTQIA communities.
Issue no. 38 | Learning pods
Back in July, New York governor Chris Cuomo announced that schools in New York can reopen if the city’s infection rate drops below 5 percent. Today, the infection rate is well below 1 percent, but plans to reopen schools are still up in the air. This week, we’re exploring the challenges related to schooling in NYC in the midst of a global pandemic. We talk to experts and learn equity-driven principles to help guide parents through seemingly impossible choices.
issue no. 36 | The person I am today
Back in March Juan Mosquero — a 58-year-old man incarcerated at Sing Sing in Ossining New York — reportedly became the first prisoner to die from the coronavirus in a New York State Prison. Since then, the situation at correctional facilities in New York has only gotten worse, with a recent report by the LegalAid society, revealing that the infection rate in New York City jails, at 11%, is nearly five times the general population. Refoundry is a Brooklyn-based non profit aimed at providing skills and opportunity to formerly incarcerated people. In this episode, we learn about the organization, how it’s adjusting to the pandemic, and a recent project that responds to the public health crisis in Rikers Island, the second largest jail in the country.
issue no. 34 | They Protect their community
La Colmena is a community-based organization working with undocumented day laborers, domestic workers, and other low-wage immigrant workers through organizing, education, culture, and equitable economic development. In April, Executive Director Yesenia Mata told us about the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis on the undocumented community amid ongoing ICE raids.
This week, she gives us an update and some good news.
ISSUE NO. 31 | It Just All Feels Wrong #BLM
In the weeks following George Floyd’s killing, protesters across the US have taken to the streets to demand an end to systemic racism and police brutality, which saw hundreds arrested, beaten, pepper sprayed and violently tackled in a span of a few days in New York and beyond.
In this episode, we hear from a protestor arrested in Brooklyn, we talk to three experts about the proposed solutions to reform policing, and we speak to a politician fighting to cut the budget of NYPD.
ISSUE NO. 29 | The People That Really Need It
The Bronx has been disproportionately affected by coronaviruses, and many of the working class communities in the borough are facing the reality of navigating a really unfair medical system. In this episode, activist Thahitun Mariam tells us about the Bronx Mutual Aid Network for Covid19 -- a support network she started for Bronx residents to organize their own communities, help people access food and supplies, pickup prescriptions and complete errands for all those who are elderly, disabled and/or immunocompromised.
ISSUE NO. 26 | The Sickness is the Cure
Ramadan is a sacred time of fasting and feasting, reflection and socializing for Muslim New Yorkers, but with mosques closed and families separated due to the coronavirus pandemic, many are experiencing the month in self-isolation and within the confines of their homes. In this episode we talk to Raihan Farogui, a physician, health tech consultant, and activist based in New York, as he navigates the rhythm of Ramadan under lockdown as well as his own recent recovery from a weeks-long battle with Covid-19.
ISSUE NO. 24 | La Colmena
As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout New York, no group finds itself in a more difficult situation than the undocumented and immigrant community. Many have lost their jobs and aren’t getting government checks despite paying taxes, and despite being at higher risk of infection and death from the coronavirus. La Colmena is a community-based organization working with day laborers, domestic workers, and other low-wage immigrant workers through organizing, education, culture, and equitable economic development. We speak to Executive Director Yesenia Mata about the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis on the community amid ongoing ICE raids, and how families are fighting back.