New York

Jaisaan Lovett. Young Black boy smiles while standing behind podium wearing navy graduation cap and gown with yellow sash

Kenrya Rankin Jul 6, 2018 10:21AM EDT

ICYMI: Black Valedictorian Denied Graduation Spotlight Gives Speech Anyway

Jaisaan Lovett is his school’s first Black valedictorian—but officials refused to let him speak at his graduation. So Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren gave him a bigger platform.

catherine lizette gonzalez Jun 27, 2018 3:02PM EDT

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Socialist Latina From the Bronx, Ousts 10-Term Representative

The Bronx-born and raised organizer is on track to represent her community in the House of Representatives—and become the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress.

New York state health commissioner will recommend that state legalizes recreational use of marijuana.

Alfonso Serrano Jun 19, 2018 2:05PM EDT

New York Health Department to Recommend Marijuana Legalization

Drug reform advocates welcome the move, but remain wary of how the state will address criminal justice issues related to legalization.

Alfonso Serrano May 16, 2018 11:17AM EDT

New York City Officials Vow to Revamp Marijuana Policy

The mayor and district attorneys promise to limit prosecutions for most offenses, but reform advocates remain weary in absence of codified law.

Alfonso Serrano Apr 19, 2018 11:59AM EDT

New York Governor Restores Voting Rights to Parolees

An estimated 35,000 residents, overwhelmingly Black and Latinx, stand to benefit from Andrew Cuomo’s executive order.

A Black man raises a fist while standing in front of a rainbow flag in Times Square

Tiye Rose Jul 27, 2017 6:30PM EDT

[VIDEO] New Yorkers Push Back Against Trump's Tweeted Ban on Trans People in the Military

Colorlines’ Tiye Rose captured a Times Square protest against Trump’s attempt to ban transgender people from military service.

Maureen Grogan, 69, stands outside her solar-powered home in Uniondale, N.Y., on March 4, 2017. She's one of many residents in the town who have decided that to go renewable.

Yessenia Funes Mar 10, 2017 11:17AM EST

What It Means That This Community of Color Is Going Solar

In four years, Uniondale, NY has embraced a technology often seen as a luxury for affluent White neighborhoods.

Kenrya Rankin Aug 3, 2016 10:42AM EDT

STUDY: Police Body Cameras in Danger of Being Used as 'Instruments of Injustice'

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights examined body-worn camera policies in 50 municipalities. It was not impressed.

Mohamed Rasheed Khan in hospital gown on white hospital bed, with pink and blue tubes attached to his face

Sameer Rao Jun 6, 2016 3:35PM EDT

Supporters Urge NYPD To Investigate Possible Bias In Attack On Muslim Man

Mohamed Rasheed Khan endured a concussion and bone fractures from an alleged beating outside a Queens, New York, mosque.

Sameer Rao Mar 1, 2016 11:42AM EST

Donald Trump's Father Was Arrested at a Ku Klux Klan Riot. Really.

Is that why Trump didn’t initially condemn the Klan endorsement?

Sameer Rao Feb 24, 2016 11:29AM EST

Black Woman-Owned Craft Beer Brand Headed to New York Walmart Stores

Harlem Brewing Company owner Celeste Beatty: ”I hope it turns into a Patti pies situation.”

Kat Lazo Nov 12, 2015 2:21PM EST

The Reason Why I Fight

Seven low-wage workers tell video storyteller Kat Lazo why they made the time and braved the chilly New York City rain to join the Fight for $15’s mammoth national day of action.

Sameer Rao Jun 19, 2015 6:00AM EDT

Here's a New Home for Creators of Color on the Rise

The hip-hop/reggae artist Kuf Notz opens up Breaking, our new series on under-the-radar musicians, filmmakers, designers, writers, dancers, developers, illustrators and other artists you should be checking out. Right now.

José Vadi Mar 13, 2015 11:20AM EDT

The Silencing of a Radio Legend

The corporate giant iHeart Radio has pushed “The Art Laboe Connection,” a classic oldies-but-goodies show, out of L.A. Here’s one Latino writer’s love letter to the show and the DJ he was raised on.

Carla Murphy Jan 20, 2015 1:39PM EST

New York's Governor Wants to Raise Minimum Wage to $10.50

Is $10.50 enough?

Carla Murphy Dec 1, 2014 12:01PM EST

Chris Rock Talks Race Relations, Comedy And More

“To say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be president. That’s not black progress. That’s white progress,” Chris Rock says.