Making It Here

Jennifer Wu is a partner at a law firm by day with an active pro bono practice representing victims of anti-Asian hate by night. Growing up, she realized that her parents did not want to be perceived as Asian. It was the 80s and the height of anti-Japanese sentiment as the Detroit auto industry blamed Japanese automakers for taking away their jobs. And much like today, anti-Asian hate crimes were on the rise. As she pursued a career in law, Wu always gravitated toward representing people who she thought were underrepresented. Now, she feels it’s more important than ever to support her community.

Lessons from Jennifer Wu on the meaning of justice: https://epicenter-nyc.com/lessons-from-jennifer-wu-on-the-meaning-of-justice/ 

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

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Built in 1612, the Bowne House in Flushing was home to generations of abolitionists. It was also a safe space in the Underground Railroad. To preserve the history, Queens residents founded The Bowne House Historical Society in 1945. They bought the house and opened it to the public as a museum. And later this month, we’ll bring Epicenter members in for a tour in partnership with The Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State. URCNYS works to promote the state’s role in the struggle to end slavery. In this episode we talk to URCNYS program manager, Sage Hazarika, about the history and significance of The Browne House.

Learn more about URCNYS: https://www.urcnys.org/

The Bowne House Historical Society: https://www.bownehouse.org/ 

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New York City based violinists Trina Basu and Arun Ramamurthy met in 2007 and it was love at first sound. They’ve been collaborating ever since. And in January of 2023 the pair released their debut album - Nakshatra. Already, it’s landed on Billboard’s “Classical Crossover Albums” chart and has received high praise from many publications - us included. Epicenter-NYC founder and publisher S. Mitra Kalita talked to Trina and Arun about their backgrounds in music, making it in New York City, and the new album. They’ll also be joined by Epicenter co-founder and creative director Nitin Mukul.

Find them on bandcamp! https://basumurthy.bandcamp.com/album/nakshatra

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At Epicenter, we've been struck through our work in Covid at how many Asian seniors are isolated and seemingly shut off from the world. Epicenter’s founder and publisher S. Mitra Kalita talks to World Journal reporter Yiyan Zheng about what she’s learned while writing for the largest Chinese-language newspaper in the United States.

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In December of 2020, New York City began administering the very first Covid-19 vaccines. Since then, we’ve been on the front lines making sure our neighbors get their shots. In fact, thousands of New Yorkers turned to Epicenter staff, volunteers and our partners to get vaccinated. 

But we realized we could do more. So, in September of 2021 we set up a pop up vaccination site (in partnership with New York City Test and Trace) in Queens Village - one of the city’s most under-vaccinated neighborhoods. 

Now, over a year later our team is still distributing doses to neighbors in need.

Today -  Epicenter Editorial Manager, Danielle Hyams, and Queens Village site supervisor, Adriana Proano, look back at the different phases of the pandemic and what we’ve learned along the way.

There’s (another) new variant. Here’s what a doctor has to say: https://epicenter-nyc.com/theres-another-new-variant-heres-what-a-doctor-has-to-say/ 

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past 8 years Liam Quigley has eaten over 460 slices of pizza across the five boroughs - logging each one on his instagram account NYC Slice. Finally, last week, he shared his findings. A map showing the location of each pizza place and a graph showing the increase in the average price of a slice over time. 

Quigley assumed a handful of friends would retweet the results, but he was wrong. It went viral. In this episode Epicenter Editorial Manager Danielle Hyams talks to Quigley about what he’s learned along the way and if we’ve really seen the death of the $1 slice.

NYC Slice: https://elkue.com/nyc-slice/ 

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the weekend New York Mets owner Steve Cohen hosted a “visioning session” at Citi Field. Hundreds of residents gathered to make their voices heard.

The goal? To re-imagine the 50 acres surrounding the ballpark. Cohen argues that for too long the space has been nothing more than vacant asphalt and wasted opportunity. Now, he’s asking for community input on the future of the area around Citi Field. 

Join the conversation: https://www.queensfuture.com/ 

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve been listening to our podcast or if you read our stories, then you already know we’ve been in touch with award winning actor, April Matthis, since the start of the pandemic. 

In June of 2021 Matthis joined us for a conversation about what the closure of theaters across New York City meant for actors. Then, in April of 2022 Matthis told us about her experience starring in the play “Help” with an all- white cast. Now, Matthis is joining us once again to discuss her Broadway debut as Grace in the revival of August Wilson's “The Piano Lesson”. 

Get tickets to "The Piano Lesson": https://pianolessonplay.com/tickets/

Join us at Citi Field for a historic opportunity to chart a path forward for the site: https://www.queensfuture.com/ 

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this month Mayor Eric Adams announced a plan to hospitalize unhoused New Yorkers with severe mental illness – involuntarily. The move comes amid a growing homelessness and mental health crisis. But while many New Yorkers are desperate for the city to address these problems, experts think Adams’ approach might do more harm than good. 

In this episode we har from Anthony Almojera, a lieutenant paramedic with the FDNY Emergency Medical Service. Almojera is often the first on the scene when someone calls about an “emotionally disturbed person.” 

The gaps in Mayor Eric Adams’ controversial new mental health plan:

https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-gaps-in-mayor-eric-adams-controversial-new-mental-health-plan/

Riding the Lightning: A Year in the Life of a New York City Paramedic

https://www.amazon.com/Riding-Lightning-Year-Life-Paramedic-ebook/dp/B09722GR8D

Need help getting an MPV vaccine?: reach out at [email protected] 

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it came to the midterm results, mainstream media got a lot wrong that local, Black, Brown and BIPOC media got right. And even now, they’re still missing important stories - from big topics like abortion and climate change to garbage pickup or PTA. So why is this happening?  Recently, Epicenter-NYC publisher S. Mitra Kalita joined a roundtable discussion with other BIPOC journalists to answer that question. The discussion was hosted by broadcast journalist Laura Flanders.  

BIPOC Media Covered the Elections Differently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpeCvn2U52c

Need help getting an MPV vaccine?: reach out at [email protected] 

Epicenter-NYC membership: https://epicenter-nyc.com/the-case-for-epicenter-membership-one-auntie-to-another/

Our intro music: http://karavikamusic.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.