Caribbean Corner

SUNY Downstate is a vital Brooklyn institution – it’s an essential engine to training the next generation of diverse, world-class medical professionals and scientists for New York State, delivering quality health care services for New Yorkers, and addressing health disparities in Central Brooklyn. However, at this point last year, SUNY Downstate’s hospital was running a $100 million annual deficit and was at risk of being unable to operate without additional funding, while contending with a hospital facility in disrepair and vulnerable to major crises. Following decades of disinvestment, Governor Hochul and the Legislature struck an unprecedented agreement during budget negotiations earlier this year to help stabilize Downstate by providing $300 million in historic capital funding and allocating $100 million to temporarily cover the deficit while a long-term solution for a stronger Downstate could be developed. Further, to chart that new, long-term path forward, negotiation...

Bronxites lined up Saturday in Soundview to fill their grocery carts with turkeys, Halal chickens, and canned and fresh produce at a holiday food distribution event hosted by the nonprofit Caribbean Equality Project and City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farias. Caribbean Equality Project , a community organization that supports and advocates for LGBTQ+ Caribbean immigrants in NYC, has hosted the event with Farias for four years. Over 140 volunteers filled the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community Center, where they unpacked and distributed 600 turkeys and 200 Halal chickens. They also offered resources and information to Bronxites who waited in line for hours in the chilly weather. Council Member Amanda Farias greeted and helped a Bronx resident collect a turkey. Credit: Sadie Brown Council Member Farias greeted community members and handed out either a turkey or a halal chicken to each household. She said events like these are not just about providing a Thanksgiving meal, they’re abo...

In the Climate Justice course Professor Shelly Eversley taught at Baruch College last spring, her students created documentaries exploring how climate issues affect them person- ally. When three students in the class realized they all had asthma, they decided to collaborate and produced a powerful short film about their experiences living in a place they call “Asthma Alley.” Eversley isn’t teaching science or health. She’s a professor of English and the interim chair of Baruch’s Black and Latino Studies program. She is also a faculty leader of CUNY’s on- going commitment to strengthening humanities education. She developed the unique approach of her Climate Justice course as a way to engage students in a subject that can seem far removed from their everyday experiences. “They do research and collect data,” Eversley says. “But fundamentally, it’s about storytelling.” Sixteen of the 22 students in the class landed internships with climate justice organi- zations after the course. ...