Featured Stories
Reviving Patois: Language of the West Indies Two States: Two Solutions [VIDEO] Profile: Pritha Singh [VIDEO] Kicks, Flips, and Respect Arab Heritage: Dancing around the Subject Sufi Mysticism on the rise in New York City Sub-liminal Messaging West African Hair Braiders in Harlem bring back the craze of the Twist and Box Braids Plaza in Jackson Heights Causing Controversy One Year On [VIDEO] Hubble Bubble, Health Department Trouble
 

Reviving Patois: Language of the West Indies

by Stephen Jiwanmall, Trinidadian Beat Reporter Marvel Henry is on a mission to keep alive a dying language, known as Patois. Henry, a 26-year-old native of Trinidad, enjoys sharing his knowledge of the language with others and teaches a bit about the language every day. “Say it with me, ‘Your shirt is blue. Chimiz-ou blé.’” [...]

Two States: Two Solutions

By William Denselow, Palestinian Beat Reporter- There are two distinct Palestinian neighborhoods in the New York area. While both cling fiercely to their shared Middle Eastern heritage, their approaches are fundamentally different. In Paterson, N.J., cultural pride seems to revolve around what goes into ones mouth. In Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, it is more about what [...]

[VIDEO] Profile: Pritha Singh

[VIDEO] Profile: Pritha Singh

  Pritha Singh was born into a family that loved arts and culture. She dreamed of being an artist herself, but when her family went through difficult times, she found a way to care for them while still pursuing what she loves. As Stephen Jiwanmall explains, Pritha’s passion for the arts is what motivates her [...]

[VIDEO] Kicks, Flips, and Respect

[VIDEO] Kicks, Flips, and Respect

People are learning the art of grappling and ground fighting just steps away from Penn Station. Nia Phillips spent time with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor, Magno Gama, who teaches students that winning and losing are just part of the game. Reported & Produced by Nia Phillips and Magdalene Castro

Arab Heritage: Dancing around the Subject

By William Denselow, Palestinian Beat Reporter-  Arm in arm, the five boys rhythmically move around their teacher, stomping in perfect unison every few steps. Most the time anyway. They’ve been practicing dubke, an Arab folk dance, all morning and they are getting tired. With the big show just a few weeks away, they’ve worked out [...]

Sufi Mysticism on the rise in New York City

by Rebecca Sanchez- Iranian Beat Reporter The first sounds are those of a Persian flute. A voice joins in, with a somber tone, reciting poetry. The sound builds as Sakina, an older woman dressed all in white except for a green veil draped over her head, takes the center of the room. She spreads her [...]

Sub-liminal Messaging

By William Denselow, Palestinian Beat Reporter- A poster war is in full swing these days in New York City and it’s bubbling beneath the surface. In late September, a controversial poster campaign went up across 10 New York subway stations. Within hours, many of the ads had been vandalized, some with stickers branding the posters as [...]

West African Hair Braiders in Harlem bring back the craze of the Twist and Box Braids

by Ntshepeng Motema, Malian Beat Reporter- As the Autumn sun poured through the windows of a hair salon in Central Harlem, small clusters of hair braiders stood over customers and pulled their hair in all  directions. All this energy and pain was in the service of creating one of the latest African hair braiding styles, [...]

Plaza in Jackson Heights Causing Controversy One Year On

A year after the city pedestrianized parts of 37th Road in Jackson Heights, local South Asian businesses are split over the move. Some say the plaza has spelt financial disaster, while others rave about the new business opportunities it has created. The city’s Department of Transportation installed the plaza last September, following an 18-month transportation [...]

[VIDEO] Hubble Bubble, Health Department Trouble

Hookah lounges in Paterson, New Jersey are going up in smoke. Health Department officials are busting the lounges for violating a 2007 ban on smoking indoors. They say the Middle Eastern water pipes, used for smoking flavored tobacco, are simply not allowed inside businesses.  Paradise Hookah Lounge on Main Street has faced crippling fines and [...]

Reviving Patois: Language of the West Indies

04 February 2013

by Stephen Jiwanmall, Trinidadian Beat Reporter Marvel Henry is on a mission to keep alive a dying language, known as Patois. Henry, a 26-year-old native of Trinidad, enjoys sharing his knowledge of the language with others and teaches a bit about the language every day. “Say it with me, ‘Your shirt is blue. Chimiz-ou blé.’” [...]

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Approaches to Conversion in the East and West

25 January 2013

By Colleen McKown, Indian Beat Reporter–When I was a high school freshman in rural North Carolina, a few of my friends brought a Bible to the lunch table. Because I had said I didn’t believe in hell, they crowded around and proceeded to read me each passage that alluded to hell. While I went to [...]

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A No-Toys Education

13 January 2013

by Charlotte Stafford Inside a cozy classroom in Brooklyn, 18 children ranging from 2 to 4 years old are seated on individual mats listening to a Thanksgiving song. As they clap and sing along, they jabber away to each other in German. The room is quite bare. There are simple wooden building blocks in one [...]

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[VIDEO] Dylan Connor: Voice of the Syrian Movement

29 December 2012

The war in Syria may be 6,000 miles away from the United States, but one musician in Connecticut is using his music to bring people there and here together. MaryAlice Parks reports

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Do You Speak Gaelic?

Do You Speak Gaelic?

25 December 2012

“Ar mhait leat brioska?” asked a student, handing another cookie. “Ba mhait. Go raihb maith agat,” another replied. The room was packed with more than 50 students who were attending La Gaelige: Irish Language Day at the Ireland House at New York University on a recent Saturday. According to the teachers at N.Y.U. and other [...]

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After Sandy, Hackers Help Storm Victims One Hack At A Time

After Sandy, Hackers Help Storm Victims One Hack At A Time

25 December 2012

Relief came to the victims of Hurricane Sandy in numerous ways. Emergency personnel were on hand, as were hundreds of volunteers, many of who brought food and clothes and assisted in the cleanup. But one group of relief volunteers took another approach. They gathered in a school in downtown Brooklyn to help electronically by creating [...]

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[VIDEO] Mea Theodoratus: The Mexican-Greek Irish Harpist

25 December 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTO14VOLtuA

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Two States: Two Solutions

24 December 2012

By William Denselow, Palestinian Beat Reporter- There are two distinct Palestinian neighborhoods in the New York area. While both cling fiercely to their shared Middle Eastern heritage, their approaches are fundamentally different. In Paterson, N.J., cultural pride seems to revolve around what goes into ones mouth. In Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, it is more about what [...]

Read the full story

Posted in Featured Stories, Print Stories1 Comment

[VIDEO] Profile: Pritha Singh

[VIDEO] Profile: Pritha Singh

17 December 2012

  Pritha Singh was born into a family that loved arts and culture. She dreamed of being an artist herself, but when her family went through difficult times, she found a way to care for them while still pursuing what she loves. As Stephen Jiwanmall explains, Pritha’s passion for the arts is what motivates her [...]

Read the full story

Posted in Featured Stories, Video Stories1 Comment

[VIDEO] Kicks, Flips, and Respect

[VIDEO] Kicks, Flips, and Respect

14 December 2012

People are learning the art of grappling and ground fighting just steps away from Penn Station. Nia Phillips spent time with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor, Magno Gama, who teaches students that winning and losing are just part of the game. Reported & Produced by Nia Phillips and Magdalene Castro

Read the full story

Posted in Featured Stories, Video Stories0 Comments

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