One video turned into two, two into three, marking the beginning of “Diary of A Happy Doc.” 

The name for the diary comes from the positive energy that she brings to work everyday, which many of her patients and colleagues quickly notice. 

In 2013, while working at the homecare facility that she co-founded with a colleague, she met a woman who had a profound effect on her, and the way she approaches working and interacting with her patients.

 “When patients talk to me, I hear them. I was working with this lady and she was about 93 years old. She was recently diagnosed with metastatic cancer,” Nwoke said.  “I don’t know why I did my white coat the way I did, but I put a smiley face right on top of my name. I was sitting in the physician’s office and one of the nurses came knocking on the door and said,  ‘Hey, miss- so and so wants to talk to you. She couldn’t say your name, but she said, ‘you know that doctor with the big smile?’” 

It was only a brief interaction, but Nwoke managed to put one last smile on the dying woman’s face.  From then on, she was inspired to adopt a special title, Chief Happiness Officer.

“She told me that the smile she saw blessed her once I opened the door that morning”, Nwoke said.It didn’t really matter what I had to tell her, but she was ready to meet Jesus. She said, ‘Babygirl, you just keep smiling and making people happy.’” “From that point on, I said that was my job.”

Georgia saw its first two COVID-19 cases on March 2and Nwoke and her team began preparing for the cases to inevitably come.  A few weeks later,  Nwoke worked a seven night shift.  She started out with four COVID-19 patients and by the end of the week, she had 32. One patient died. This tragedy laid the groundwork for Nwoke’s diary.

“I’m thinking about my first death and I was posting. I started realizing that talking about what I’m going through is actually therapy for me,”  Nwoke said. “I’m not a journalist or into journal writing. I’m more into music and the arts. I’m a creative who loves photography. It was not just therapy for me, but it was so important for my people and my community.”

Little did she know, she was about to encounter another life-changing COVID-19 case that would further inspire her diary, her own positive case, which she contracted during that seven night shift. Coincidentally the week before contracting the disease, she had been discussing holistic medicine with fellow doctors and friends, and sprung into action.

“I had all the classic symptoms that my patients had and I started looking at how to prepare myself and my immune system for what was to come. I didn’t die because my body’s defense mechanism became better than what it was prior to working that shift.”

She quarantined for two weeks, careful to not get her husband and young son sick. From her bed, she continued her “therapy” and developed #TestimonyTuesdays, and  created more colorful and engaging graphic art on Instagram.  

As she helps fight the pandemic in Georgia, creating art has been a source of therapy for Dr. Mary Nwoke.
Photo by Mary Nwoke

She also cut off all COVID-19 related news, which she credits in aiding her recovery.

“I had to sit in quarantine for 14 days and I realized that as all of this is happening on CNN and NBC, and social media…there was a lot of bad news,”she said. “Not only that, but it was important for me to cut that off and to start looking for good news. I knew as a physician that we had discharges and people did get better. We had a lot of deaths, but let me start glorifying the good and showcasing the testimonies.” 

In her videos, she can be found sitting at her desk snacking on pretzels or whatever crunchy snack is nearby, as she talks up close and personal to the camera. She talks facts and statistics, gives advice on how to protect yourself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, while of course,  sprinkling in much needed humor. On occasion, her videos come with Snapchat characters dancing in the corner, fun text, and filters- all in the name of providing a smile.

  She hopes that the information she is giving as a trusted source will help her family and friends grasp the seriousness of the virus and stay home- despite what elected officials are saying.

“I said to myself that if I want to meet my family, community, and my friends alive and well on the other side of this pandemic, I better start speaking,” she said.“I don’t know who is going to catch on, but I need to start delivering the facts. I need to be on top of studies, be on conference calls, and have up to date information. This is not just for me, it’s beyond me.”

It’s been two full weeks since Georgia has reopened and as of this week, there are 34,002 confirmed cases, and 1,444 deaths. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a  model similar to the one used by the White House, the death toll in Georgia could be high as 5,000 by August.

These numbers are alarming but Nwoke is fully prepared to do whatever is necessary to save the lives of Georgians,video diaries and all. 

“I will always be a physician and patient advocate,” Nwoke said. “I love what I do.”

The post Doctor uses social media to give advice and hope appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

From my morning mixed berry smoothie to getting to spend time with my roommate, these are the “little things” that I have found to bring positivity to my life, and make being stuck inside more bearable.  

Nutritious eating and drinking is more important than ever for me. I have a mixed fruit smoothie with breakfast almost daily now. May 2, 2020, Photo by Sope Aluko

My day can’t begin without an episode of “The Real” even if I’ve seen it before. May 2, 2020, Photo by Sope Aluko

My roommate, Margaret, and I stand on the balcony of our Bushwick apartment to enjoy the nice weather. May 2, 2020, Photo by Sope Aluko

A vision board is a great way to visualize and plan for what’s to come in the year ahead. I started a vision board at the end of 2019 and I work on it if I have free time. May 2,2020, Photo by Sope Aluko

During the pandemic, I have been doing a lot more cooking and baking than usual. I have enjoyed trying new recipes. May 2, 2020, Photo by Sope Aluko

My cousin DJ is a pediatrician in England. I got the opportunity to interview him about how his hospital is handling the pandemic. May 2,2020, Photo by Sope Aluko

My rooftop has been my escape when I need a breathe of fresh air. May 2, 2020, Photo by Sope Aluko

This is a project of  Lori Grinker’s  NYU graduate photojournalism class.

The post It’s The Little Things appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Three weeks ago, whether it was in preparation for a spring break trip, or planning months in advance for a summer getaway,  this was the attitude of many wanderlust filled millennials, as they booked flights for record low prices to enticing destinations like Las Vegas and Miami.   

Despite the World Health Organization declaring the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic in the U.S on March 11, and pleas from the CDC and White House directly aimed at them to quarantine, or to practice social distancing, many pressed toward their departure gate.  However, not every millennial ignored the coronavirus threat.

T’Klah Fields, 23, a Houston native now living in Brooklyn, admits she initially didn’t take the idea of quarantining seriously, but when she saw the numbers of cases rising, she quickly changed her mind.  

“Once the quarantine took full effect, I began to count my blessings and I continuously send prayers up for all affected and prayers to shield myself and my loved ones,” Fields said.

In New York, while young people account for a small number of deaths and hospitalizations, 40 percent of New York’s 44,915 confirmed cases are people aged 18-44. Governor Cuomo issued a stern warning to millennials about their reckless behavior reminding them of their vulnerability.

“You are wrong! You’re not superman and you’re not superwoman. You can get this virus and transfer the virus, and wind up hurting someone who you love or hurting someone wholly inadvertently,” Cuomo said. .

 For Fields, who works as a corporate fashion buyer, the first week of the quarantine was very hard as she dealt with drastic job changes, switching from  a hands-on and face-to-face client environment, to having days filled with conference calls, virtual training classes, and reviewing job materials online.

“I have created a new routine of 80% of my life being digital of some kind,” Fields said. “Initially, I found myself staring at screens all day – laptop screens, tv screens, phone screens, etc. To take myself [out from] the virtual haze, I take daily walks, as spring days are upon us.” 

With the second week of quarantining approaching, Fields is adjusting and is using the time she is spending indoors being productive, working on her personal brand and blog. Despite the occasional yearning to go to brunch with friends, Fields has found happiness in the increasingly popular trend of virtual happy hours with friends and family via apps like Skype and Zoom, trying out new recipes, and watching movies that remind her of her childhood.

“That has really lifted my spirits,” Fields said.

She also feels like her time spent indoors has made her grateful for her loved ones around her. Fields lives with an older relative who has not been able to step outside since the quarantine began. She helps get groceries, medicine, and other essentials as needed.

She believes that seeing the changing demographic of who is falling ill is what will get millennials to start taking matters more seriously.

“I think the more people of all ages get sick, the more people will realize that this virus is real,” Fields said.

Janay Tyson, 22, who also lives in New York, said millennials are lacking a sense of urgency in the pandemic. Tyson chose to leave the city to  be with family in North Carolina, and has been in quarantine for 10 days. She would advise that the sooner that people start social distancing, the sooner there will be a chance that things clear up. Until then, she will not be returning to New York.

“I will be enjoying my time getting better sleep, doing DIY crafts, and having game nights with family,” Tyson said. 

For others, volunteering their time to help others has been an effective way to get through their day-to-day lives during the  pandemic.

 Last week, Gabriele Kriaucionyte, 24, a Master’s of Psychology student at NYU, decided to get involved with NYC #StudentsAgainstCorona, after crossing paths with an elderly man who was having difficulties walking.

“It felt very wrong to be on the side that is perfectly capable of helping, but not doing so,” Kriaucionyte said.  “I saw my friend starting this community and I had to question, ‘why not me? I believe that kindness reciprocates, and I feel more sense of community today more than ever.”

The student-led volunteer group helps elderly and immunocompromised people with everyday tasks.  It was started at University of Oxford in England and spread to 24 cities throughout the world in 12 days. New York’s chapter has 220 volunteers so far.

“I feel like being a socially responsible millennial will shape our future and our children,” Kriaucionyte said. “A very easy way to become conscious about this issue is to ask questions to yourself such as: what if it were my family? What if I was older or had health conditions and it were me? By helping, we set standards for ourselves and for future generations, and we create a sense of welcoming and loving community. It is just ‘human’ to give a hand to those who need it.”

Although millennials have not been the only group called out for not following social distancing protocol, state officials and healthcare professionals across the country have found themselves the most frustrated with millennials. They attribute their nonchalance to early reports from China that suggested that a young person would have a high rate of recovery if they were to contract the virus. 

“I believe the media portrayed the true facts that older people with comorbidities (the  presence of two chronic diseases or conditions in a patient) are at much higher risk for more significant disease if affected by the novel coronavirus,” Dr. Vanessa Stoloff, Senior Medical Director at UPenn Student Health Center said.

 The media correctly said older people are at a higher risk of getting very sick and dying of the virus, but that does not mean millennials have zero risk.

  “Younger people may have thought this meant they have a lower chance of being infected, which absolutely may have contributed to the current attitude of young people acting ‘invincible’. However, working with students of these generations daily, they typically feel “invincible,” despite the overwhelming amounts of education one might give them. That I can’t explain, ” she said.

 Internationally, the need to self quarantine is strongly enforced, and disregard for government orders comes with consequences.

 “We have to text a government number stating the reason we’re leaving the house, and wait for approval. Alternatively, you can write out your own form and carry it with your ID,” says Georgia Bruno-Skipp, 25, who is originally from London, but now resides in Paphos, Cyprus with her husband.  

Cyprus, which has a population of 1.21 million, has reported 162 cases of infection and 5 deaths as of this week.

 “If it’s not a valid reason or necessity for leaving the house, they are fining people 150 euros (equivalent to $167.53),” Bruno-Skipp said. 

Bruno-Skipp said she and her husband are trying to make the best of the situation despite a two week quarantine turned complete country lockdown.  She also lost her job as a baker. Her father, who works as a cruise ship musician, is also spending time with the couple, as he is stuck in Cyprus after multiple cancelled gigs.  

 “The best part of the quarantine is getting time to spend with my dad and our  animals,” Bruno-Skipp said.

She said the government is doing a good job trying to curb the virus.

“There’s not much to say other than take it seriously or the long term will be a lot worse than what they’re asking us to do now,” Bruno Skipp said. “I think that until someone they know gets it, they will carry on the way that they are.”

The post Millenials (Not) Gone Wild: Despite reports, many millenials are being responsible appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

He said the curve is not flattening despite the virtual lock down of the state, with cases doubling every three days, he said. The state has more than 25,000 coronavirus cases, about ten times more than any other state. About 15,000 of those cases are in New York City.  The rate of hospitalization is 23 percent.

Cuomo said the state needs 30,000 more ventilators. Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today that New York was getting 400 ventilators.  But Cuomo needs FEMA to  do more.

“If more ventilators aren’t sent within weeks, you pick the 26,000 people who are going to die,” he said.

He  wants President Donald Trump to  act with more urgency,  as his state is the epicenter of the virus in the United States.

“The President said it’s a war. It is a war. Well then act like it’s a war,” Cuomo said.

 Trump said that the federal government is doing a “tremendous job”  and blames Cuomo for not ordering ventilators years ago. He has said that the country is ready to transition away from social distancing and get back to work despite more Americans getting sick and dying of the virus.  He wants Americans back to work by Easter.

Speaking from the Javits Center, which will convert its showroom floor into New York’s first overflow hospital for COVID-19 patients this week, Cuomo thanked the Army Corps of Engineers and the staff members at the convention center for their quick work in setting up the makeshift hospital before  announcing the news of the dramatic increase.

“The discussion all along has been, ‘How fast does the rate of increase spread and ‘Can we slow the rate of increase? We are not slowing it and it is accelerating on its own,” he said.

Forecasters, who once described the spread of the virus a freight train, are now calling it a bullet train, Cuomo said. 

Now the concern at hand, he said,  is where the number of cases of infections will apex, or be at their highest. 

The projected apex for the number of hospital beds needed has risen from 110,000 to 140,000. There are only 53,000 regular beds and 3,000 ICU beds currently. There will be 40,000 ICU beds needed.

“We are exercising all options as aggressively as we can because they project the apex to approximately be 14-21 days away,” Cuomo said. “We are doing everything we can on every level. We have increased testing to the highest level in the United States and highest per capita level on the globe. No one is testing more than we are testing.”

Hydroxychloroquine and zithromax have emerged as potential lifesavers for coronavirus patients as the two medications used together can fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses, according to  CNN . Cuomo also wants to implement DOH Plasma Injections, which will involve taking plasma from people that are infected and have the antibodies, and putting the plasma into the people who are still severely struggling with the disease. This will also help with antibody testing, a detailed part of his plan for increased testing. It will allow people to have their blood tested to see if they have antibodies for the coronavirus, which means they might have been infected but never knew it.

“If you had the coronavirus and resolved, you now have immunity to the virus. For some period of time, most experts suggest it’s a significant amount of time,” Cuomo said. “These would be very important things for us to know because we have health care workers that could return to work.”

Cuomo said this biggest concern in making sure that hospitals are equipped and have staff.  He said he is prepared to do, and use whatever resources are available to him.

“Beds without staff are virtually useless,” Cuomo said. “Hospitals must now increase the number of beds by 50%, with the goal of trying to increase it by 100%. I have no problem using the dormitories all across our state campuses. I’m speaking to hotel owners about taking over their hotels to put patients in. I will turn this state upside down to get the number of beds we need.”

The post Cuomo demands more federal support as coronavirus cases rise in New York appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Jim and Jeanne Moser couldn’t have imagined such a simple solution could have saved their son’s life in 2015. Five years later, the East Kingston, New Hampshire couple is working tirelessly to keep others from making the mistake they did, and educating others worldwide on the importance of disposing of excess prescription opioids through their national campaign, Zero Left for the Medicine Cabinet. 

According to the American Society of Addiction,  four out of five people who develop an opioid addiction start with legally prescribed pills, whether it be pills prescribed for themselves, a friend, or family member. This was ultimately Adam’s fate, and what makes his death the most painful. Now with the New Hampshire primaries looming, the parents of four, like many other New Hampshire residents, are still pondering who the best candidate to tackle the important issues like the opioid crisis is. 

On September 19, 2015, 27-year old Adam Moser died of a fentanyl overdose, after four years of secretly struggling with an addiction to opioids. Moser was one of four to die of an opioid overdose that weekend, and one of 444 opioid overdose deaths that year in New Hampshire, which has consistently been in the top five states with the highest rates for opioid deaths for the last four years.  “Unbeknownst to us, he was helping himself to opioids we had left over from our joint replacement surgeries,” Jeanne Moser said. “ We were prescribed these and neither of us really liked them, so we put them in our kitchen cabinet. By the time that we found out he had a drug problem, it was the night that the police officer told us he was dead.” 

Just days after Adam’s funeral, Jeanne headed to the pharmacy to pick up pain medication for Jim, who had just had knee surgery which had been previously scheduled before Adam’s death. 

She was shocked at the contents of the bottle.

“I was like, ‘Here we go again, ” she said, recalling the devastation of seeing 150 Percocet and Oxycontins being prescribed, and bursting into tears as she drove away.  “The doctor came to the funeral. Didn’t he know? Why would he do this?”

Per doctor’s orders, he only needed 30 pills, which were to be taken over the course of seven days.

“I was disgusted,” Jim Moser, who works as a surgical scrub deck, said.  “I ended up flushing the rest down the toilet.”

 When Jim Moser was cleared to return to work, this was when the Mosers realized the gravity of the drug problem not only facing New Hampshire, but the country as whole, pushing them to begin brainstorming the ways they could join the fight against addiction.

“I was going down the road of how to get medication prescribed more accurately,” Jim Moser said. “No one asks you when you have surgery ‘How many pills did you actually use?’ Surgeons usually give you the maximum prescription so that they get less calls from patients asking for more.”  

 In 2017, the pair began building the campaign with flyers, PSAs, and public addresses around the country about the dangers of unprescribed opioid use, even getting recognized by President Trump during a March 2018 speech about his $6 billion plan for fighting the opioid crisis at Manchester Community College. Most notably, the couple was able to join forces with doctor and fellow friend, Thomas McGovern, to distribute Deterra, a disposable drug deactivation system that uses water and deactivated charcoal to dilute pills when mixed together in a plastic pouch. The campaign’s launch was on January 1, 2019 and as of March 2019, the couple has helped healthcare facilities throughout the country to distribute over 175,000 Deterra packages.  In addition to the implementation of the Deterra packages, New Hampshire law now requires an informed consent form be given to patients needing opioids. In addition to detailing the possible risks and side effects of opioids, the form also asks patients to do a risk assesment where they are asked about family or personal history of substance abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological disease such as ADD or OCD.

The Mosers recognize that because a national crisis can’t be solved by one person, leaving them unsure who would be the best candidate to handle such a national, and personal, crisis, as the nation’s next President.

“The problem is so big. The DEA will tell you they can’t arrest their way out of this problem. When I hear a political candidate speak about the opioid crisis, it doesn’t matter what side they are on, or if I personally like them or not, they can’t really promise anything,” Jeanne said. “Maybe through the healthcare funding avenue that it could get fixed. Getting folks the mental health they need may help in not leading them down that path.”

In the eyes of recovering addict and author Timothy Macmahan King, who became addicted to prescribed opioids meant to treat acute necrotizing pancreatitis, the policies that the presidential candidates have proposed for addressing the opioid crisis are much better than that of Trump’s, who he believes is only talking about the opioid crisis for political gain.

“There are candidates that you connect with because of policy issues and there are candidates you connect with because you believe the stories they are telling about the world,” said King,  a storyteller himself, recently writing a book called “Addiction Nation: What the Opioid Crisis Reveals About Us”  where he talks about his journey to recovery, as he questioned and explored the things that fuel addiction in a society. 

“Donald Trump has named an issue that resonates with his base, while not following through with good policy. I’m watching what he is doing and how effective it is and I’m shocked that the Democrats don’t see it and find a way to counter it.” 

In order to be able to pick the right candidate, King said he needs a candidate who presents a healthy balance of relating to the people on a personal level, and a policy level when it comes to important issues. For him, that candidate would be Andrew Yang. 

“I think he is doing the best job at creating a narrative that connects with what people are experiencing in their day to day lives through his big policy ideas. It’s a long shot for him to become president but I’m really glad his voice is in the mix but I hope other Democrats keep listening to what he had to say.”

Nik Orestis, retired paramedic and firefighter for the city of Manchester, also feels like the role mental health has in drug addiction really needs to be addressed, remembering the horrors he saw while working in emergency services, which he worked in from 1992 to 2017.

“I worked two 24 hour days and had four days off, “ Orestis said. “It was a great career, but we got overwhelmed with drug and mental health cases. It was brutal. When I would see people in the back of the ambulance, the older generation would say that it started because of their prescription medication. For the younger kids, the mental illness had a lot to do with it. They just wanted to get away and it [using opioids] was a way for them to handle depression, suicidal thoughts, schizophrenia, and things like that.”

Despite starting in 1992 when the opioid crisis was really just beginning, Orestis actually saw some of the worst cases around 2017.

“I was seeing five to seven overdoses a day in the city of Manchester alone. Some of them were repeats,” Orestis said. “They overdose, you give them a dose of Narcan, they come back, and you would pick them up later that night for the same thing. From my colleagues that I’m still friendly with today, it’s still pretty bad.” 

Orestis looks forward to candidates providing better access to mental health as a means to combating the opioid crisis and believes that Bernie Sanders is the best man for the job because of his Medicare for All plan.

“I agree with him 100% that medical care for everyone should be a right so I’m aligning myself with Bernie Sanders,” he said. “How far that will go, I don’t know but I like his platform. The biggest thing I hear from people is ‘How is he going to pay for it?’ Hopefully we all find out.”

The post New Hampshire residents split on which candidate will attack the state’s deadly opioid crisis. appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Parisa Pena, 24,  immediately noticed the transphobic environment at Kingsborough Community College, where she first came out as transgender to her social groups.  She was so scared of what others reactions would be, so to test the waters, Pena lived her life as a gender non-conforming male.

Last month,  Pena was one of over 100 transgender, non-gender conforming and non-binary (TGNCNB) New Yorkers gathered in City Hall’s Council Chambers. Of the 51 individuals slated to testify before the Committee on Women and Gender Equity, 25 were students, staff, and faculty at  City University of New York (CUNY) schools. Each recounted negative experiences encountered as TGNCNB students, staff, and their allies. Complaints included consistently being misgendered, the lack of restroom facilities inclusive to those of all gender expressions, physical and emotional violence, workplace discrimination, and much more.

The oversight hearing, spearheaded by Helen Rosenthal, District 6 Council member and chair of the Committee, allowed them to talk about their experiences living as TGNCNB people. 

Despite the passage of anti-discrimination laws such as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), this year, many needs of TGNCNB community, which hovers around 0.6% of all 798,00 adults living in New York, were still being overlooked.

“It became obvious as a city council body, we have an opportunity to have a hearing and ask the administration, ‘What is going on? What are you working on to address the needs of this community?’ she said.  One of those organizations was CUNY and many of their students weren’t going to go unheard any longer. 

For Pena, who identifies as a Latinx,  non-binary, transgender woman, it took a few years of being at Kingsborough  Community College before she was comfortable to tell her truth about being a transgender woman. When she did, she, like 78 percent of TGNCNB youth nationwide became a victim of harassment from students and even staff members at the school. 

“At times at Kingsborough, I was often sexualized and demoralized for being a transgender woman,” she said.“Students talked about me in the hallways, took pictures of me leaving the bathroom and spread rumors to the student population. Professors refused to use my pronouns,  defaming my gender identity. The student board committee didn’t do anything to protect me. The school just let me know that the student would be talked to and nothing else.” 

Shortly after the picture taking incident, Pena’s most upsetting moment came when school officials essentially did what the student did, and took a picture of her without consent, plastering her picture on promotional material for transgender inclusitivity in the school community. The material was circulated around the school, officially outing Pena as transgender to the entire student body. Being outed,  whether done maliciously or not, can lead to harmful, and sometimes fatal consequences. LGBTQ youth contemplate suicide almost three times the rate that their heterosexual counterparts do and are almost five times as likely to have made a suicide attempt compared to heterosexual youth, according to the Trevor Project. 

For transgender youth, according to  the 2015 National Center for Transgender Equality survey, 40% of transgender adults within the age range of 10-34, reported making a suicide attempt in their lifetime, and for 92% of them, their attempt occured before they turned 25.  

Pena transferred to John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she is now a senior. While she still faces the occasional microaggression, John Jay has been a safer environment.  But for others like Red Washburn, 38, simply packing up and leaving Kingsborough wasn’t an option.

Washburn, an Associate Professor of English and Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies at Kingsborough, made headlines when they penned a June 2019 op-ed in the Daily News about the abuse they received from the school’s administration after coming out.

  The trouble began when Washburn, who identifies as transgender, non-conforming and nonbinary, came out as transgender to their department in 2017, announcing that they were requesting a name and pronoun change, as well as the fact that they were having male chest reconstruction surgery. Within six months of that announcement, Kingsborough informed Washburn, who has been at the college for six years, that the Women and Gender Studies (WSG) program, was getting defunded. They believe it was because they came out.

 Gender studies programs often serve as safe spaces for queer stiudents.

Dr. Brianne Waychoff, an associate professor at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community also saw their gender studies department lose funding.

“I think that is how most interdisciplinary programs are at public universities. It’s hard for people to understand what they are,” Waychoff said. 

Despite not having a budget, full-time professors, or even a physical space for the program, Waychoff is remaining positive about its future.

“It’s consistently growing and students are taking the intro class because we have it as general education offering now, she said. “There’s a lot of verbal support for the program and I think that people are generally glad it’s there. There’s just not a lot of tangible support.”

Despite their negative experiences, Waychoff, Washburn and many others have hope that after the hearing, there will be better experiences for the queer  community within the CUNY school system.

“I was really moved and inspired by the testimonies that were shared today, said Washburn. 

 I know it takes a lot of courage to tell your story and speak your truth, but they gave me a lot of hope that things will change across CUNY.”

For Waychoff, change will only happen if there is continuous and consistent effort on all sides.

“Find your allies and work together,” Waychoff said. “Get on every committee that you can and bring this up at every meeting.”

The post CUNY gender non-conforming students and staff want City Council support appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

This past weekend, an unexpected visitor came to Times Square.

Times Square welcomed Kehinde Wiley’s “Rumors of War” a 27-foot bronze statue of a black man with dreads wearing  “urban wear” — a hoodie, ripped jeans, and Nikes, while sitting atop a horse in mid-gallop.

The statue, which sits in the bustling plaza closest to 46th Street, was created by the  Nigerian-American visual artist and native New Yorker, whose most recent claim to fame is the 2018 oil painting portrait of former President Barack Obama. 

The statue, which mimics the statue of Confederate General J.E.B Stuart, provides an impressive trifecta of accomplishments for Wiley. It is his first public work of art, his biggest in size, and unarguably his most awe-inspiring, even for a place such as New York. The statue has been a jaw-dropping sight for visitors who can be seen circling the statue, reading the inscription to the left, moving to the center, craning their necks in order to take it all in from top to bottom, and then walking to the other side to assure that they hadn’t missed anything. 

LaDarryl Blair, 22 a rapper from Dallas, Texas, came to New York City for a business meeting, and admitted he didn’t really pay much attention to the statue at first.  He was focused on taking photos with his friend. Once he took time to learn about the significance of the statue, he became intrigued.

“This is groundbreaking and controversial for a lot of reasons,” Blair said. “It’s going to push the envelope because a lot of people would have been scared to do this type of thing, especially in a place where the majority is white people.”

Blair, said the statue’s bold message encourages him to continue to be bold in his music career, too.

“I like to stray from the norm and push kids away from doing drugs.’ he said. “The hip hop industry influences black youth to do crazy things. I think they need to hear something different.” 

Blair also expressed frustration, drawing a parallel between how the sculpture celebrates  the black man and the September 2018 shooting death of Botham Jean, a 26 year old black man from Dallas, and the meager 10 year sentence his killer received earlier this week. 

“It’s frustrating and I can’t even put into words what would it would have been like if it was a black man who entered a white woman’s home,” he said. “I think it just goes to show why these sculptures are important because we aren’t heard enough. We have so far to go.”

Darian Jones, 24, a paralegal administrative assistant came to New York City for business and was pleasantly surprised to come across Kehinde Wiley’s “Rumor of War” an  art installation in Time Square. Photo by Sope Aluko

 Darian Jones, 24, a paralegal administrative assistant, from Dallas, Texas said the messaging was very powerful to her.

“In terms of the message, I can sum it up in a few words:  rise above,” she said.“I see the hoodie and it represents the Trayvon Martins of this time. The different pieces that he put on the statue are many items that African Americans wear everyday and are stereotyped for. You wear a hoodie, you’re a thug. You have dreads, you’re not well groomed. I have so many thoughts and just not enough time.” 

For Paul Ferrara, the monument has served as an opportunity to talk to the public about his passion for art education, as an Art Ambassador for Time Square Alliance, a group founded in 1992 that works in the plaza to promote major events.

“When I found out about this possibility [of the statue being unveiled here] I was very excited to engage with people about it,’ he said. “It’s a sculpture that’s really changing the dialogue. There’s so much going on with monuments, evaluating what significance they hold in society and the stories that they tell.  What Kehinde is doing with his work is changing the story and offering another story.”

The sculpture will be in Times Square until December, and then be moved to Richmond, Virginia It will be permanently installed in Virginia’s Museum of Fine Arts on Ashe Boulevard, less than a mile from the J.E.B Stuart monument.

The post Times Square statue promotes bold message appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Thousands of people gathered in Washington Square Park  yesterday to hear Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren speak on her fight against corruption, women’s workplace equality, environmental issues, and other progressive issues that have been fueling the rise of her campaign. 

After walking onstage in one of her signature brightly colored suit jackets, the Massachusetts senator immediately launched into her anti-corruption agenda, giving the crowd a history lesson on the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy.

“I wanted to give this speech right here, not because of the arch behind me or the President that this park is named for. We are not here because of famous arches or famous men, or men at all,” said Warren, causing the crowd to erupt loudly with cheers. “We are here because of hard working women, who more than 100 years ago worked long hours in a 10 story building just a block away. These women worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.”

On March 25, 1911, 146 factory workers composed mostly of immigrant women and young girls died after a fire at the top of the building began to spread. The workers, who were on the 9th floor, were unable to escape due to a collapsed fire escape and locked doors, by bosses who were afraid workers would steal scraps of cloth.

For Senator Warren, the factory, which still stands today as an NYU building, has served as a painful reminder of the need for workplace safety reform laws, starting with cooperation from higher ups at companies.

Warren’s anti-corruption agenda, which she confidently calls the “most sweeping set of anti-corruption reforms since Watergate,” is formally known as the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act, and was proposed last August. Warren pledged to work tirelessly to undo the mess  she said that the Trump administration has created.

 The event brought out many young people, who were  excited to hear Warren speak..

“I think that her policies are very bold and detail oriented,” said Amith Ananthram, 27, a software engineer from Fairfax, Virginia. “She has very clear ways to fund the things she proposes, many of which I strongly agree with like the wealth taxes. She’s an older candidate which makes her more attractive because she has a track record you can judge her against.”  

 Naomi Muange,18,  believes that Senator Warren is making great effort to be in tune with young people.

“Obviously it may not come as naturally as it did with someone like Obama, but she is advocating for issues important to young people like healthcare and student loan debt,” she said. “At first, she got off to a rocky start, but she’s trying. It’s the effort that counts.”

 But rally goer, Evelyn Keefer, 18, is worried about Warren’s pledge to fight against corruption, citing that Warren had said she would utilize corporate money during the general election.

 “I don’t know if she can honestly talk about corruption in D.C. while maintaining that stance,” said Keefer.

The post Warren wows the crowd with a fiery anti-corruption speech in Washington Square Park appeared first on Pavement Pieces.