The middle and high school history curriculum in the US does little to address black history and culture outside of offering a unit on slavery or the civil rights movement. And because they can’t see themselves in it, many African American students encounter obstacles when it comes to truly connecting with the material and developing a love of history. Th...

During the summer of ‘72, the entire country and really, the whole world was chess crazy. American grandmaster, Bobby Fischer had just defeated USSR Champion Boris Spassky in the World Chess Championship during the height of the Cold War and the search began for the next great chess player. An all-male chess club was developed with this very hope in mind, but over time the program shifted its sights toward equitable opportunities for both young men and wo...

Spontaneous. Genuine. Connected. This is how best to describe The Barrow Group’s approach to acting. The Barrow Group is a theater company and training center located in midtown Manhattan, offering programming in all dimensions of storytelling, including acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking, screenwriting, and improvisation. Since its founding in 1986, Barrow has maintained that the strongest pe...

"My favorite thing about drag is that it is unnecessary, there are no responsibilities in drag. You don’t have to be nice, you don’t have to be on time, you don’t have to be socially responsible. You can use it for whatever. And I want to use it for good," says New York City comedy Queen and Slate contributor, Miz Cracker. Thin, white, and v...

At a time when daily headlines are fraught with civil rights violations, terrorism, and bigotry, it’s important to take a moment to remind ourselves that there is still good being done in the world today. For the fifth year running, EdLab Studios brings to light the empowering, inclusive organizations and educators that fill classrooms, museums, stages, and spaces across the state of New York through our series, "Seen in New York." These dedicated individ...

This week we revisit the most popular episode of 2017. While New York Harbor's own Ellis Island opened its doors in 1892; men, women, and children from overseas had set their sights on the land of opportunity well before then and continue to today. For over 450 years, America has symbolized economic possibility, political liberty, and provided refuge from war, famine, persecution, and religi...

As part of New York's 15th congressional district, Hunts Point is ranked the most at-risk community for children in the nation. Two thirds of its children are living below the poverty line and only about one-third of students complete high school on time. And while these statistics are worrisome, "they are not meant to be an indictment," says Executive Director of Hunts Point Alliance for Children, Jill Roc...

Historic Preservation seeks to reveal and recount not only the architectural history associated with a site, but the richer social and political history that lies within each brick, beam, and bolt. So, as a student of that very endeavor, Ken Lustbader grew frustrated at the glaring absence of gay history being explored in the field. Historically, LGBT history has remained relatively unknown, undocumented, and not fully understood. But it exi...

Joseph Mendez was an undercover cop, driving home one night through Queens when he was in a car accident. Suddenly his life was completely changed. But it wasn’t over. After spending an entire year in recovery, Joe left the hospital in a wheelchair. Interactions with other patients he'd encountered motivated Joe to revisit the sports he loved so much before his injury and even try some new ones, chiefly through the