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But in March 2021, because of the pandemic, their growth came to a screeching halt. They now have three active leases – two in Montana where they’re headquartered and one in San Francisco. They significantly reduced headcount since turning off their office lights last March. Over 50% of workers were furloughed or laid-off, with only 20% of those who had been furloughed brought back in summer 2020. With studio doors shut, they were receiving little to no revenue stream. ClassPass’ physical workplace was shifting. 

Like many other companies, their employees have continued to work from home since the onset of the pandemic. What’s been lacking in company culture and social interactions, is made up for in working from the sofa, front stoop, and in the most comfortable leisurewear. 

Ashley Bolitho, a Senior Manager of Employee Experience & Workplace Operations at ClassPass, explained that late last year they conducted a survey. They wanted to get a better understanding on how their employees envision working in the future since for better or for worse, they had become accustomed to working from their homes. 

“Around 22% of the team responded they wanted to be in an office full time,” said Bolitho. “About 48% of the team said that they wanted to work out of an office part time and work remotely the rest of the week. And the remaining showed that they want it to be fully remote in the future.”

The pandemic has forced ClassPass, and many other businesses, to rethink the traditional landscape of the workplace. It has thrown the once hard and fast rules for work structure out the window. For most, gone are the days of the prescribed Monday through Friday office commute. In a survey conducted by Gartner, over 80% of company leaders plan to permit remote work after the pandemic. 

Bolitho clarified that there is no blueprint or a one size fits all for companies on how best to return to the office as COVID-19 loosens its grip. Having a better pulse on their employees’ preferences for returning, ClassPass ultimately decided on a choose your own adventure model, where employees will enroll annually on how they want to return to the office. Options are fully remote, full time in the office, or a hybrid model where employees will be in office some days and remote the others. 

“What used to work, no longer works,” said Bolitho. “We know people need some kind of connection and collaboration, and they are going to continue to need that. But now that folks have a sense of autonomy, we’re going to want to continue to give them that autonomy. That’s why we’re giving them options on how to return to the office”.

The streaming giant Spotify followed suit. Joining the ranks of other tech companies who announced they will shift to a flexible work model, Spotify will allow their 6,550 global employees not only to choose their preferred work mode, but have granted flexibility around location, choosing the city where they work. Spotify stated that their people live and work in different ways and the future of work of Spotify will be more flexible, effective and sustainable through their new model

With more companies leaning towards a hybrid approach, the question begs – how do you maintain an office culture, without, well, an office? Those face-to-face encounters in the kitchen when grabbing an afternoon pick me up will be slim, if not cease to exist. The last year has proved that human interaction is vital, and while digital gatherings help, they certainly cannot be substitutes. 

“Shopify has coined the term bursting,” said Shopify Designer Manager Katarina Batina.

“The idea is that at a certain cadence throughout the year, Shopify will support teams co-locating. We’re imaging a world where your team meets in a centralized location for a week of focused work and intention setting for the quarter or the year. ”

Batina always wanted to work at Shopify, but with headquarters in Ottawa, Canada, she wasn’t champing at the bit to move from her home in idyllic upstate New York. When she eventually joined in October 2020, the company had gone fully remote, or as they like to call it “digital by design”, helping in her assertion that it was the right time to join the team.  

Katarina said that the CEO Tobias Lütke always tinkered to move the company in this direction, even prior to the pandemic. Because of the size and aspiring scale of the organization, they saw this as an organic and fortuitous time to permanently take the company fully remote. One reason they decided not to support a hybrid model, is they’re weary of the divide it will create among the two class citizenry of people who are in the office and people who are not. Also, it would just become a logistical nightmare.

“It’s not going to be an equitable environment if we did a hybrid model,” Batina said. “When everyone’s on a Zoom call, it’s great. But when half the room is and half, the room isn’t, it just creates this dual class structure that doesn’t really work well. We want to create an equal experience for everyone once it comes to a work environment.”

Regardless of the position companies take, each will present their own unique pros and cons. For Batina, she’s enjoying the ease and frequency she’s gained from remote work with the five employees she manages.

“We’re not in a fishbowl of a conference room or in a coffee shop with a lot of distraction,” said Batina. “You can have a really open conversation, where if you’re in the office, and you’re having emotional responses, you don’t need to worry about someone seeing you.”

Not all Silicon Valley execs are on board for fully remote or a flexible approach work. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings stated last year that he expects his employees to return to the office once the majority receive the vaccine. No matter what approach companies take, one hope remains. That the formal office dress code never comes back, and the days of pandemic sweat-centric wardrobe reigns supreme.

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New York City’s hunger crisis has been a widespread problem for years, but it’s gotten far worse due to the economic impact from the pandemic. About 2 million people experienced food hardship this year, almost doubling from 2019, with about 1 in 4 people turning to a food bank, pantry or distribution center since the pandemic began. 

Food warehouses and pantries throughout New York City have gone into overdrive to meet the needs of their communities. These organizations are stretched to their limits given the crush in demand and the lack of federal aid. In partnership with their supporters, volunteers, donors, and other community-based organizations, City Harvest and Campaign Against Hunger have been able to expand their efforts to serve families and provide enough food to their neighbors in response to the pandemic. 

These pictures explore the brave and charitable efforts of Campaign Against Hunger and CIty Harvest as they work tirelessly to ensure no one goes hungry.

Volunteers enter the Campaign Against Hunger warehouse in Canarsie, Brooklyn, 11/12. Photo by Courtney Guarino

A volunteer for Campaign Against Hunger prepares a bag of Thanksgiving grocery items at their warehouse in Canarise, Brooklyn, 11/12. Photo by Courtney Guarino

A volunteer at Campaign Against Hunger warehouse in Canarsie, Brooklyn awaits instructions, 11/12. Photo by Courtney Guarino

A customer loads up her grocery cart at the Campaign Against Hunger SuperPantry in Brooklyn, New York, 11/12. Photo by Courtney Guarino

Volunteers pack up groceries for delivery to various food pantries throughout New York City at Campaign Against Hunger’s warehouse in Canarsie, New York, 11/19. Photo by Courtney Guarino

Packaged meals to be delivered to various food pantries at Campaign Against Hunger’s warehouse in Canarsie, New York, 11/19. Photo by Courtney Guarino

A worker at the City Harvest warehouse in Long Island City, New York prepares repacked bags of produce to be distributed to various food agencies throughout the city, 11/19/2020. Photo by Courtney Guarino

Grocery items at Campaign Against Hunger’s SuperPantry in Brooklyn, New York, 11/19. Photo by Courtney Guarino

A volunteer for Campaign Against Hunger helps two customers with their order at their SuperPantry in Brooklyn, New York, 11/19/2020. Photo by Courtney Guarino

Volunteers help to hand out Thanksgiving grocery items to customers at the Campaign Against Hunger Thanksgiving distribution event in Brooklyn, New York, 11/19/2020. Photo by Courtney Guarino

Customers pick up Thanksgiving essentials at the Campaign Against Hunger distribution event in Brooklyn, New York, 11/19/2020. Photo by Courtney Guarino

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“Interestingly and wonderfully we have found our members to be incredibly faithful during this time,” Sonya Chung, Deputy Director of Film Forum in Greenwich Village, said. “Some people were buying memberships during our closure. They understood they weren’t going to get the membership benefits and that we weren’t screening movies, but they were getting memberships just to support us.”

Film Forum is a nonprofit movie theater that celebrates their 50th anniversary this year. Some of the 6,000 members have grown up regularly attending screenings. Of the members who were once students in the neighborhood, Chung said that they now bring their children along on the weekends to enjoy junior programming. But since their closure on March 15th, virtual screenings have taken the place of movies on the big screen – bringing in just a small fraction of what normal ticket sales would normally provide but with almost the same amount of work. 

“It requires much of the same work to screen these virtually — we have to watch the films, select the films, do the same kind of outreach to the press,” Chung said. 

Prior to COVID ticket sales, concession and merchandise made up approximately 40% of Film Forum’s total annual income — since their closure, they haven’t had these same income sources, leading to furloughs and layoffs within the company. The majority of their effort now is on fundraising. In spring, they held a fundraiser which brought in $100,000 from over 1,000 donors, twice as much as what they raised in 2019.

“It was clear the supporters were really coming forward to say we really want you to be here when this is all over and we miss you,” Chung said.

In a normal year, Anthology Film Archives in would have roughly 45,000 people attend screenings in their two theaters. Around 35% of their $1million projected income would come from these screenings and renting out the theater, bringing around $350,000 in revenue annually. Anthology has pivoted to provide online programming on various platforms to keep audiences engaged. 

“Last week, I opened a check for $1.79 which was our share of the screening for a certain period,” John Mhiripiri, Anthology’s Director, said. “Obviously that’s on the extreme end. But in half a year of online screenings, I would be surprised if we even earned a couple thousand dollars. There is just no way online movie screenings are going to generate the income we depend on as a theater.” 

Anthology’s loyal customer base view the establishment as a staple in a part of the town that they see disappearing. Mhiripiri said it’s a community hub of sorts in the East Village, where students, filmmakers and artists are able to gather. And due to members’ and donors’ generous donations, the crucial PPP loan, and owning the building — no rent payments just utilities — they’ve managed to limp along. 

“Some emergency grants have been offered, from private foundation sources and others through the CARES Act,” said Mhiripiri. “We had a great deal of support in April, May and June from our own constituents from Anthology’s members and supporters. We appealed to them to help us out at this time and people did.”

Anthology has continued to receive support from members and donors which has helped offset the loss of income from their programming and theater rentals. Eight core staff remain, while about twenty five of the theater staff — ushers, projectionists, managers, and box office ticket agents — have been furloughed. 

Syndicated, a movie theater, but also a bar and restaurant nestled in Bushwick, came to realize only after their doors shuttered how much their customers came for their movie screenings first and the booze and food second. Customers came to show their support for the neighborhood staple once they opened for outdoor dining, but it was only once Syndicated started screening outdoor movies that business really picked up. 

“The outdoor screenings have made it far more illuminating for us that our movie screenings are a main driver of our business, “ Tim Chung, Co-founder and Owner of Syndicated, said. “The food, drinks, and environment are an added bonus.”

Aside from their loyal audiences, the small operating size of these indie cinemas have been beneficial during these trying times. Whereas the large multiplexes are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, being independent allows these institutions to keep functioning because they can control their economies of scale. 

“We’re not so big and that is what helps us a lot, we’re a medium sized non-profit,” Mhiripiri said. “We’re not dependent on having the next Christopher Nolan sell the theater out. We have intentionally remained totally independent and done our programming as free from commercial concerns as we can.”

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In response to Trump’s recent tweet and urgency on Wednesday to “Stop the Vote” demonstrators gathered in Philadelphia and marched into the night chanting “Count Every Vote”. Earlier in the day, demonstrators were met with opposition at the Philadelphia Convention Center, where the votes are being counted. Trump supporters held signs reading “The Polls are Closed.” Pam Bondi, Trump’s campaign attorney and former attorney general of Florida, stood outside the center with court orders.

“We plan on entering that building right now and legally observing,” said Bondi. “If there is one illegal vote cast, it takes away from the great men and women of Pennsylvania who came out and issued a legal vote.”

While some Philadelphia residents stay glued to the news awaiting updates on results, others tried to ignore it. 

Sofia Pejcic, a 17-year-old and first time poll worker from Philadelphia, said she doesn’t see the point in following the updates. 

“It’s one of those things that already happened, it doesn’t make sense for me to stress about it minute by minute” said Pejcic. “I was following the news before the election but now that it’s already happened, I don’t see the point too much unless there is something actionable I could do. I feel like all we really need is patience right now.”

As the results poured in during the 2016 Presidential election, Pejcic felt the anxiety. Like many, back then, it shocked her as she did not expect the results to come in the way they did. And while it’s upsetting to her to see there is still a close divide, she’s more content with the possibility of Trump winning the 270 electorates this year.

“It’s an acceptance,” said Pejcic. “Once you’ve done everything you can — you’ve worked the polls and you’ve tried to increase voter turnout —  but at that point, what the people vote, is what they vote.”

When Gray Lepley, a 34-year-old citizen of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, went to bed the night of the election, Trump was leading by 11%. But when her husband came to bed at 2 a.m. the number did not budge. It upset her, especially in light of the social unrest and other issues that have come up in the wake of the global pandemic. She thought more people would have been gung ho to vote out Donald Trump.

“I thought we were in a better place.I thought it would be even more split towards blue, “ said Lepley, 34, a resident of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania and mother of two. “I find it really disheartening.”

Until recently, Leplay identified as a conservative. A moderate, but definitely a conservative. Largely in part due to the events of this past year and the President’s response, she switched her party registration to Democrat. She acknowledges that Trump’s policies would likely be better for business, but right now, that’s not the most important thing to her. 

“I think this election has put into sharper focus, what are things that I actually care about in my life, and is it the economy? To a certain extent yes, I work in finance, but to me social justice and the future of our country are more important to me than a few years of maybe better economic situation,” said Leplay. “The way he has handled the pandemic, honestly atrocious.”

According to 538, Pennsylvania is one of the most evenly divided political states, making it one of the most competitive political states in the country. Driving across the state, one will see rural stretches of farmland and small towns, to diverse cities and suburbs like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. 

As of Wednesday evening, the votes that have been tallied indicate this divide. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, in Philadelphia, its surrounding counties, and Allegheny County, Biden led by about 660,000 votes. Outside of those counties, Trump had a roughly 918,000-vote advantage.

John Burke, a 30-year-old resident from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, acknowledged the pronounced political divide throughout the state. Burke’s mother works for the Election Board of Bucks County, a county that has not yet been called in Pennsylvania. 

“If Trump does pull off Pennsylvania, it won’t necessarily shock me,” he said. “You get the suburbs — Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County — that typically lean left, but driving around the state — Scranton, Allentown — you see sign after sign for Trump. It’s’ just two different opinions and there is a lot of support one way or the other.”

Burke thinks Trump will take the Pennsylvania win, but Biden will win the overall election. 

“I think it’s over,” he said.” It’s a matter of when in my opinion of when that will happen at this point.”

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Kennedy Mattes, co-founder of Poll Hero, shows she is a registered poll worker through a Poll Hero certificate. Photo by Kennedy Mattes.

“I lost trust in our institutions,” Mattes of Cincinnati, Ohio said. “It seemed as if everyone knew the dangerous capabilities of the shooter, yet nothing could be done proactively. It was then that I realized I had to take it upon myself to advocate for the necessary changes.”

Frustrated by not being old enough to vote, she organized students across Ohio to write to senators to support gun legislation.

Now a 20-year-old student at Princeton University and first time voter, Mattes is on the front lines again. She co-founded Poll Hero, an organization that aims to protect democracy by recruiting high school and college students to volunteer as poll workers. Since their launch in July they estimate sign ups of over 35,000 poll workers.

What originally started as a project focused on funding for vote-by-mail, it shifted after a nationwide shortage of poll workers became apparent. Mattes said they were motivated by the struggles election officials in Philadelphia were having in finding poll workers for the primaries during a pandemic.

“We came up with the idea to focus on recruiting high school and college students to become poll workers for the election,” she said. “Because we are students, we have a generally good idea how to recruit our peers.”

Historically, a large share of poll workers have been older. According to the Election Administration and Voting Survey, in the 2018 general election, 31% of poll workers were between the ages of 61-70 and 26% were 71 or older. But these older folks are reluctant to work the polls due to their vulnerability to COVID. 

“The consequences have already been felt in recent primaries, where poll worker shortages led to long lines and the closure of polling places,” Scott Duncombe, co-director of Power the Polls, said.  “Washington D.C. lost 1,700 election workers during its primary in early June. Similarly, Kentucky consolidated in-person voting in each county to a single polling place during the primary due to poll worker recruitment concerns.”

When Poll Hero started, they zeroed in on the city of Milwaukee which had drastic polling closures due to lack of workers. Mattes said the city now has over 173 polling locations and they’re no longer taking applications, by far the most extreme outcome from polling recruitment.

Kai Tsurumaki, 19, and co-founder of the Poll Hero Project, said it was the tumultuous landscape of politics that pushed him to step up. He’s been more and more motivated to do his part in making sure elections are free and fair, and speaking up for issues that he believes in. He said Poll Hero is somewhat of a  result of his advocacy over the past few years.

“Some of the chaos of this year and social movements have made my generation, Gen Z, really energized and really excited to participate in democracy, politics, and activism,” Tsurumaki said. “Part of the project’s success is from being able to tap into that energy and enthusiasm for democracy and politics.”

In a global survey of Gen Z ages 15-24, The Irregular Labs found 75% of respondents said being politically or socially engaged is a fundamental part of their identity. And with a year of a global pandemic, protests around the world, and political turmoil, this generation is taking it upon themselves to ensure every voice is heard and counted in this upcoming election. 

“So many of us over the summer were going to protests and were educating ourselves about social issues,” said Lucy Duckworth, a 17-year-old high school student from Philadelphia who is working the polls this election. “We’re all trying to find more ways of contributing. Being a poll worker is such a novel and concrete way to do that.”

Duckworth emphasized the importance of showing up to the polls. 

“The more people who vote, the more of an accurate reflection of our government in who gets elected,” said Duckworth. “We need to represent as much of our population as we possibly can.” 

Lucy Duckworth takes her poll working training virtually. Photo by Lucy Duckworth.

For Evan Malborough, it’s always been about involvement. Hailing from Atlanta, where there’s a historically rich undertone of black history and service, he said when it came time to pick a career, it was the assumption he would engage into that culture as well.

Evan is the 22 -year-old founder of The Georgia Youth Poll Worker initiative and has been involved in voter registration since 2015. Working the polls for the first time during the primaries showed him the need for young people to step up and become poll workers. Since July 1 he’s estimated his initiative has recruited over 1,000 students to work the Georgia election. And when he’s not recruiting poll workers, he’s leading poll worker training. Since July, he’s taught over 70 classes.

“Democracy needs workers and students need work.” Malborough said. “Democracy has seen a massive shortage of people working and students need money. I became a poll worker because I lost my internship. How many students like me are there? This a surefire way to make money while also securing democracy. It’s a win-win.”

Samuel Ravetz, 27, is the co-founder of  Save Our Democracy!,  and is mobilizing his own efforts. After doing research on progressive organizations, he came to the realization that there’s a gap between people who are interested in getting involved and finding organizations that fit their passions. Save our Democracy aims at streamlining the process by offering personalized volunteering recommendations.

Samuel Ravetz, and other members of Save our Democracy, hold a virtual meeting. Photo by Samuel Ravetz.

“You take a six question quiz and get three personalized recommendations based on your answers,” Ravetz said. “We don’t have established partnerships – we let them know we’re going to highlight them – but we then give users a link where they can go and sign up to become a poll worker.”

Ravetz received nearly 462 quiz completions within one hour.

All but three states require training for the polls, which can be long and tedious and require passing an exam. Eighteen states allow split shifts for poll workers, but it’s not uncommon for a volunteer at an election site to work anywhere from a 12 – 15 hour shift. And while it may not be the most luxurious job, Mattes said she’s excited young people are still doing it. 

“Becoming a poll worker is still a job,” Mattes said. “Your water and food breaks are limited. You can’t take off your mask. It’s not like you’re stepping into a very easy job. It’s still work. And I think it’s cool to see that students are still stepping up. It’s not that they’re doing this because they have to. They’re doing it because they want to.”

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“We haven’t really seen the government step up the way that they need to step up,” Steve Levin, City Council member for District 33 in Brooklyn, said. “In April we had a call with all of our federal counterparts and the message was to hang on, by the end of May we should have a good stimulus package. Summer came and went, no stimulus package. Small businesses need help, landlords need help.”

Phil Morgan, owner of Building on Bond, stands in front of the permanently closed restaurant. Photo by Courtney Guarino

Phil Morgan, owner of eatery Building on Bond, was forced, like many, to shut its doors due to the impact of COVID-19. Had Morgan been provided rent relief from his landlord, the restaurant would have celebrated their 13th anniversary this month. Throughout his speech, Morgan strained on the importance of building community through small businesses, and grieved at the loss of no longer being able to do so at his restaurant. 

“We created a neighborhood joint, where people can hang out, get their coffee, get their lunch, take their business meeting, have a first date, get engaged,” Morgan said. “It was about being a part of the community. And when I said this to my landlord he said, ‘I don’t give a sh*t.’”

Many of Morgan’s colleagues are doing about 10-30% of their sales from last year, he said.  Prior to COVID-19, Morgan was pulling in about $150,000 in sales. And that was during a slow month. Using his colleagues’ percentages as a measure, had he been open now, the restaurant’s sales would be around $20,000. With a monthly lease of $25,000, that would leave him with $5,000. Like many other restaurants facing the same problem, it’s just is not enough cash to make it work and the landlords are unbendable. 

A letter of closure hangs on the window of Building on Bond. Photo by Courtney Guarino

“My landlord was not willing to do anything, all he wanted was rent and that just doesn’t work,” Morgan said. “I negotiated with him for five months and the only thing he was willing to do was either get all of his rent or I had to hand the lease back. It made no sense to open up with that lease so we had to shut down. The landlord would not come to the table.”

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, despite job growth totaling 3.8 million in the last 5 months, employment in food services and drinking is still down by 2.3 million since February. And as of September 23, about one-third of the city’s restaurants and more than one-half of its bars have closed.

Natasha Amott, owner of retail kitchenware store Whisk in Brooklyn, is one of the lucky small businesses to come out of COVID somewhat unscathed by rental fees. Her and her landlord have been handling rent on a month to month basis, with a large reduction given in March and April when the pandemic was at its worst. 

But before we even knew the word COVID-19, Amott lost two Whisk locations due to an increase in rent and property taxes. In 2012, she paid $10,000 in property taxes on her Manhattan location. In just six  years, she saw over a 400% increase in property taxes to $54,000, forcing her to shut the doors. And that’s without even factoring in the cost of rent. 

Her past experiences, compounded with the inequities on commercial rent and property taxes that COVID-19 has illuminated, forced her to take a look at the bigger picture. 

“We need to look at new ways to imagine how businesses can start up,” Amott said. “We should be looking at changing how the standard lease works so we are not stuck with the property tax burdens so often. What I’m calling for is a reimagination on how we allow these contracts to develop.”

Megan Rickerson, owner of bar Someday Best, opened her doors July 2019 and has been able to stay afloat through the pandemic. At one point, she was doing it all– her chef taught her how to cook and  she made cocktails to keep overhead costs as low as possible. Rickerson would like to see relief for the landlords, too, in hopes of a trickle down effect on the tenants.

“My landlord is a decent person but he’s also saying he has no idea how long he can work with us because he is trying to stay afloat and survive,” said Rickerson. “He has a limit on his abilities. And I don’t know how long this is going to go for, so his abilities might run out next month.”

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The choreographed performance, inspired by Chinese and African dance, was set to New York hits like Frank Sinatra, “New York, New York” and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind Part II.”  And with the census deadline less than a week away, they closed the performance shouting in unison, “Get Counted NYC, It’s Not Too Late”. 

“I view this as a way to get the word out in a new and unique way, that at the same time demonstrates that we’re still here in New York and we still count in New York,” Meeta Anand, a Census 2020 Senior Fellow at the NY Immigration Coalition, said. She wore a mask that read “Get Connected”, designed to get passers-by to fill out census forms. “We are full of people, cultures and experiences to celebrate and we’re doing that today here.”

Melva Miller, the CEO of the Association for a Better New York, said the event was part of  an ongoing effort to get New Yorkers counted during the final stretch and highlight the importance of the census in a very non-traditional way.

“There are individuals who need more encouragement to fill out the census,” Miller said. “ We know where they are, we have the data. We know how we can target them and get them to actually complete the census form.”

Dancers participate in a flash mob in Times Square to raise awareness for the Census 2020. Photo by Courtney Guarino

The group had set up tables alongside Duffy Square with local census takers ready to help people fill out their forms electronically. 

COVID-19 has made it increasingly more difficult to spread awareness and education on the 2020 Census, specifically to those in historically undercounted communities. According to Miller, social distancing halted in-person outreach, like street fairs, block parties and houses of worship, which is how reaching these vulnerable communities is most effective.

Miller said some people just don’t understand the importance of the census. Others are immigrants who fear the information will be used against them. A part of their efforts are to demystify the misinformation to ensure all voices are counted and heard.

“It’s about explaining what exactly the census means to you from the moment you walk out your door to the moment you reach your destination,” she said.”

A census response representative stands by to help people fill out their 2020 census forms. Photo by Courtney Guarino

The dancers were both professional and just ordinary New Yorkers from across all five boroughs, made up of children and adults. They twirled ribbons, stomped and shook their hips and raised their hands in the air.

City Council candidate, Marcelle Lashley-Kabori, was one of the energetic dancers. She said that by not filling out the census, you become invisible. 

“You might as well make sure you are represented the way that you want to be represented, if not, people will make a decision for you,” Lashley-Kabori said. “Being able to take the census allows you to say “no, here is how I’d like to be represented”, vs. someone just making assumptions about who you are and what you need.”

Dawn Kelly of the Nourish Spot was one of the sponsors of the event .Photo by Courtney Guarino.

Census data determines the allocation of trillions of dollars in federal funding to various programs within communities — affordable housing, Medicaid, roads, bridges, free lunches at school, even how to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, and more critical services. Not to mention the amount of congressional representation.

“There is so much at stake for New Yorkers, we could lose two congressional seats. That’s a fact.” Aarti Choly, the Deputy Director of Strategic Planning and Executive Affairs at NYC Census 2020, said. “In 2010, we lost two congressional seats. If we’re not counted, we could lose two more seats this year.”

Having less congressional seats in the house also means having less of an influence in the 2024 presidential election. Two seats lost, meaning two less votes for the New York electoral college. 

“If you care who our president is and how much we have a say in that, it’s just another indication on how important the census is,” Anand said.

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