Audio/Video
Canarsie church bridges Nigerian-Caribbean cultural divide
The Redeemed Christian Church of God, International Chapel of Brooklyn sits at the end of a quiet dead-end street along an industrialized stretch in Canarsie. But every Sunday, amid the auto repair shops and shuttered buildings, that unassuming corner awakens as...
8 lessons I learned in journalism school
In no particular order, here are some gems (deep, trivial and in between) I'm taking with me from this hellish experience. Had I known them before I enrolled at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism...I would still do it again. 1. Feed me, Seymour! Free food is...
Q&A with Denis Antoine, Grenada’s UN Ambassador
by Kaara Baptiste Denis Antoine is the Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations. Prior to his appointment in September 2013, Ambassador Antoine was Ambassador-at-Large and Executive Director, Office of International Programs and...
Familiar wait for NYC churches renting schools
By Kaara J. Baptiste For the audio version of this story, click here As soon as Sunday worship service ends at the Grace Fellowship Church, volunteers swiftly move into action. They break down projectors, pack up equipment and pick up forgotten programs. In...
Turning blight into green pastures
Coney Resident Plots Garden Rescue for Vacant Lot By Kaara Baptiste Last year, Minico Roberts, a longtime Coney Islander, started thinking about creating a new community garden in her neighborhood. She was inspired by her experience as a culinary educator at farmers...
Q&A: Ronald Stewart, Coney Island violence interrupter
by Kaara Baptiste Shootings in the NYPD’s 60th Precinct, covering Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Gravesend, jumped nearly 85 percent last year, spiking to 24 incidents from 13 in 2012. The incidents included two fatal shootings in Coney Island within 48 hours of...
Interfaith clergy fast to save SUNY Downstate
by Kaara Baptiste Prayers are going up to keep a local hospital from shutting down. On Tuesday afternoon, a coalition of religious leaders from various faiths wrapped up a 48-hour fast intended to keep SUNY Downstate Medical Center active in Brooklyn. The SUNY...
Coney churches still recovering, lack funding, post-Sandy
Four days after Hurricane Sandy hit, Pastor Connis Mobley arrived at the United Community Baptist Church to see an errant Mack truck lodged in the church’s front entrance. The sanctuary was submerged under 6 feet of water. A year later, the church has cleared enough...
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