Lift Every Voice

by Enoch Naklen and City Council Member Rita Joseph

YC writer Enoch Naklen and New York City Council Member Rita Joseph collaborated on this op-ed in conjunction with the passage of two resolutions that CM Joseph introduced. Those resolutions mandate that all NYC high schools support a student newspaper and provide ongoing data about those journalism programs.

Teens Speak Out on the Election

Ari, 15: I am worried and baffled by Trump’s re-election. I don’t have citizenship and am in the U.S. as part of a program that gives Ukrainian refugees parole for two years at a time. Will Trump end this program? Trump being a fan of Putin makes me worry about my home.

Now, I’m a Proud Full-Time Hijabi 

by I. I.

“The believers are like a single body; if one part suffers, the whole body suffers.”  Imam Maulana Akonjee was quoting the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) to me and four other kids in the humid living room of my grandpa’s house, as a creaky fan rotated above us. 

Living in a Paradox

by Josh Lancman

In the picture book “Ella’s Trip to Israel,” a young girl named Ella takes a trip to Israel with her family and stuffed monkey, Koofi (Kof is Hebrew for monkey). Ella and her family fly on El Al airlines, visit the ancient Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem, shop at the shuk (outdoor market) in Tel Aviv, swim in the Dead Sea, and scuba dive in Eilat, seemingly all in one long day.

How Gentrification Has Affected Me

by Enoch Naklen

I’ve watched the construction of 111 Montgomery in my Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights since it was nothing more than a large empty lot.  There was a playground nearby where my brother and I always played competitive 2v2s basketball with the neighborhood kids.

What We Can Do to Honor the Loss of Tyre Nichols 

by Enoch Naklen

On January 7th, Tyre Nichols was pulled over by five Memphis police officers for “reckless driving” according to NBC News. What followed was 13 minutes of him being brutally beaten and tased by these police officers. He died in the hospital three days later.