Public News Service

The Gender Shades project revealed facial recognition performed poorest for darker-skinned women, and performed best for lighter-skinned men. (Adobe Stock)

A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections

Columbia County, New York, is implementing new facial recognition and privacy policies, following new upgrades to the county's surveillance cameras…

A new survey by the group Make the Road New York showed one-third of New York City migrant workers with steady jobs weren't getting minimum wage or timely pay, due to their immigration status. (Adobe Stock)

Survey: NYC needs to do more for growing migrant population

A new survey showed New York City's population of asylum-seekers is struggling, and makes suggestions for improvements. The survey by the group Make …

The Pew Research Center reported 41% of Black workers it surveyed experienced discrimination or were treated unfairly by an employer in hiring, pay, or promotions due to their race or ethnicity. (Adobe Stock)

Black restaurant workers in NY want racial wage gap closed

As Black History Month begins, people are looking at how to close New York's racial wage gap. Between 2010 and 2020, the state's wage gap shrank by …

New York has made strides in voter access through the June 2022 enactment of The New York Voting Rights Act. (vesperstock/Adobe Stock)

New York Senate pushes for more ballot access

Just a week into the legislative session, New York lawmakers are moving to uphold democracy and expand voting rights. The state Senate passed a …

The New York City Comptroller's Office reported the number of migrants not living in New York City but still in its care has grown from 276 in May to 2,127 in September. (Adobe Stock)

NYC community health centers focus on migrant health

A network of New York City community health centers is in the crossfire of the city's migrant crisis. Ryan Health is a system of primary health …

A new United Nations report found actions between Israel and Palestine have only exacerbated divisions between them. The U.N. said Hamas' initial attack on Israel constitutes a war crime. (Jewish Voice for Peace)

NY group in Washington to protest Israel/Gaza war

A New York group is among many at the U.S. Capitol today, protesting the U.S. response to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Elected officials from President …

The 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly included a speech from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke of peace with Saudi Arabia. The annual meeting's focus was the global warming crisis. (RawBeautyPixels/Adobe Stock)

Why Israeli politics matter in NYC

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United Nations General Assembly sparked major demonstrations in New York City on Friday…

Protesters take to the streets of New York as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu attends the U.N. General Assembly Today. (VICHIZH/ Adobe Stock)

NY rallies for Jewish democracy as Netanyahu meets UN

Protests have heightened in New York as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joins the United Nations General Assembly today. Sonya Meyerson-…

At least 11 major cities across the United States are hosting National Day of Action rallies today to call attention to reforms they say are needed in the nation's immigration detention system. (Susan Vineyard/Adobe Stock)

Immigration Advocates Host National Day of Action Rally

Immigration advocacy groups are calling on New Yorkers to join them in Foley Square at noon today. It's a National Day of Action to call attention to …

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse finds there are more than 10,000 immigrants in ICE detention as of July 2023, down from a high of 20,000 in May 2019. (Adobe Stock)

NY Group Turns to Immigrants to Help Peers in Detention

A New York immigrants' rights organization has created a membership group to develop solutions for better treatment of immigrants arriving in the stat…

Stop AAPI Hate finds more than 11,000 hate crimes against Asian Americans were reported from March 2020 to March 2022. (Adobe Stock)

NY 'SafeWalks' Program Keeps On Walking

A community effort meant to curb incidents of violence against Asian Americans in New York is undergoing some changes - but it will still be around…

Before the Supreme Court's ruling, nine states banned affirmative action: California in 1996, Washington in 1998 (rescinded in 2022), Florida in 1999, Michigan in 2006, Nebraska in 2008, Arizona in 2010, New Hampshire and Oklahoma in 2012 and Idaho in 2020. (Adobe Stock)

NY Higher Ed Advocates Mull Affirmative Action Ban Impacts

Colleges and universities are trying to figure out what's next after last week's 6-3 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down affirmative …

Sixty schools piloted College Board's new AP African American Studies course, which is set to appear in over 200 schools starting in the 2024-2025 school year. (Adobe Stock)

Survey: Students Want More Diverse, Inclusive Curriculum

CORRECTION: YouthTruth surveyed more than 28,000 high school seniors from the class of 2022 and the class of 2019 in 19 states, including New York…

Sesenta centros han probado el nuevo curso AP de Estudios Afroamericanos del College Board, que se impartir� en m�s de 200 centros a partir del curso 2024-2025. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Encuesta: Estudiantes quieren un plan de estudios más diverso e inclusivo

CORRECTION: The number of students surveyed has been corrected. (2:10 p.m. MDT, Feb. 6, 2023) Mientras continúa la polémica sobre el curso …

According to a 2021 report from Stop AAPI Hate, the state of New York had the second-highest percentage (15.7%) of anti-Asian hate-crime reports. California was the highest, at 38.1%. (Adobe Stock)

NY Groups Work to Address Rising Anti-Asian Hate Crimes

As Asian Americans continue to face discrimination and hate crimes, new funding could aid New York officials in reporting - and preventing - these …

According to the Detention Watch Network, the U.S. detained nearly 250,000 immigrants in Fiscal Year 2021, in a network of about 200 facilities. (Gustavo Frazao/Adobe Stock)">

NY Law Regulates ‘Predatory’ Immigrant Bond Companies

A new law in New York State is expected to keep for-profit lenders from taking advantage of immigrants in detention facilities. Some people in the …

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., is among the chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, founded in 2016. (Wikimedia Commons)

Report: 'Center' Black Women to Build Economic Justice

As states ban abortion with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, women's advocates in New York and beyond are raising awareness of the outsized impact …

A group of 42 lawmakers signed a letter to the CEO of Google, asking the online search engine to stop collecting location data on its users. (petunyia/Adobe Stock)

Report Warns About Tools Used to Surveil Pregnant People

A new report sounds the alarm about surveillance technology which could be used to target pregnant people if and when Roe v. Wade is overturned…

In Buffalo After Mass Shooting, Biden Calls White Supremacy 'A Poison'

President Joe Biden traveled to Buffalo Tuesday to grieve with residents of the city, after 10 people were killed over the weekend in an anti-Black …

Buffalo residents gathered at Macedonia Baptist Church on Sunday for a vigil in honor of the victims of the mass shooting at Tops supermarket on Saturday. (Darren McGee/Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul)

Buffalo Reeling After 10 Killed in Racist Attack at Supermarket

Buffalo residents are grieving after a shooter killed 10 community members on Saturday in an anti-Black attack, apparently fueled by racist white …

According to the Governor's Office, Holocaust survivors typically receive little to no Social Security income. (Adobe Stock)

NY to Allocate $2.6 Million to Holocaust Survivors

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state will allocate about $2.6 million to increase financial and medical support for survivors of the Holocaust…

New York immigrant groups say the United States needs to protect undocumented Ukrainians from deportation. (golicin/Adobe Stock)

NY Immigration Coalition Urges U.S. to Welcome Ukrainian Refugees

The New York Immigration Coalition is among the groups urging the U.S. to take in as many Ukrainian refugees as possible, as Ukraine faces an ongoing …

Elizabeth Jennings started New York City's first kindergarten for African American children, which she ran from her home until her death in 1901. A monument in Manhattan to honor her is in the works. (Photo courtesy Jerry Mikorenda)

Telling the Story of Elizabeth Jennings, NY's 19th-Century Freedom Rider

One hundred years before Rosa Parks ignited a 13-month bus boycott, Elizabeth Jennings led the way for New York. A presentation this evening at a …

In 2017, pregnancies among Black residents of New York City accounted for 23% of the city's births, but 55% of maternal deaths. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates Rally for Equity, Justice in NY Maternal Health

New Yorkers rallied this week, calling for action to help address the structural inequality Black and Brown people experience during pregnancy and …

If the New York State Legislature rejects the Independent Redistricting Commission's maps again, it will be up to state lawmakers to draw congressional and state legislative district lines. (Flickr/Wally Gobetz)

NY Lawmakers Reject Latest Redistricting Maps

The New York State Legislature on Monday rejected two sets of district maps submitted by the state's Independent Redistricting Commission, so more …

A letter sent to Congress by 240 groups in part calls for $69.5 million for increased access to overdose prevention, harm reduction, and syringe service programs through the CDC's Infectious Diseases and the Opioid Epidemic program. (Flickr)

As Overdoses Climb, NY Groups Seek Solutions

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced another staggering new death count amid the pandemic: more than 100,000 fatal drug overdo…

In the redistricting process, New York will lose one congressional seat, the result of a population decrease upstate. (NYIRC Maps)

NY Groups Hope New Voting-District Maps Reflect Community Input

New York City made history last week when the City Council passed a law giving non-citizens with legal permanent-resident status the right to vote in …

Paige Bethmann and Ku Stevens speak in between interviews at his house on the Yerington Paiute Reservation in Nevada. (Zack Kiszka)

NY Filmmaker Reflects on Upcoming Indian Boarding Schools Documentary

NEW YORK -- A team of New York-based filmmakers is producing a documentary about reclaiming Indigenous heritage, told through the experiences of an 18…

Between 2010 and 2019, felony arrests of people younger than 18 were down 53%, according to The Sentencing Project. (Adobe Stock)

Youthful-Offender Status Reform Gives New Yorkers a Chance at a Clean Slate

NEW YORK -- This month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law advocates said gives young people who were caught up in the criminal-…

Kalaya'an Mendoza of Nonviolent Peaceforce introduces training practices on holistic safety and security, situational awareness and threat assessment on Saturday in Brookyln's Sunset Park neighborhood. (Neha Gautam)

As Anti-Asian Violence Continues, NY Groups Host Community Safety Trainings

NEW YORK -- Police data show New York City saw a 368% increase in assaults against Asian residents in September, compared with the same time last …

The Mashomack Preserve is one of more than 100 nature preserves in New York under the care of The Nature Conservancy. (Carl Heilman/The Nature Conservancy)

Partnership Mixes Traditional & Western Ways to Protect NY Preserves

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - New York environmental groups are teaming up to blend Indigenous knowledge of the land with Western scientific knowledge to …

Access-A-Ride returned to scheduling shared rides on July 6, with a mask requirement per governor's order, but no vaccine mandate for passengers or drivers. (Flickr/Chris Sampson)<br />

Disability Advocates Call on MTA to Resume Solo ‘Access-A-Ride’ Trips

NEW YORK - Tomorrow, advocates for New Yorkers with disabilities will ask the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to stop the shared-ride model for …

In the United States, home-care workers, mostly women and people of color, earn on average only $12 an hour. (Adobe Stock)

NY Disability Rights Advocates Seek Federal Dollars for Home Care

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Advocates for people with disabilities in New York are pushing for the federal budget resolution to include $400 billion in Medicaid …

As part of a new contract 3 months in the making, healthcare coverage has already kicked in for over two thousand contract airport workers dating back to July 1. (32BJ SEIU)

New Contract for Thousands of NY Airport Workers Includes Healthcare

NEW YORK -- Over 10,000 New York and New Jersey front-line airport workers will get health insurance as part of new contract negotiations that come at…

Juneteenth is the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. (Adobe Stock)

Juneteenth Made Federal Holiday, But Room for Progress Remains

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Legislation declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday is now law, after President Joe Biden signed a ball Thursday approved by Congress…

Political campaigns often fail to make their events and literature accessible to all people with disabilities. (Reneshia/Adobe Stock)

People with Disabilities to Candidates: Make Your Campaigns Accessible

NEW YORK - Political campaigns must provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. That's the message to candidates for elected …

The Healthy Terminals Act, signed into law on New Year's Eve, provides covered airport workers access to quality, affordable health insurance. (SEIU 32BJ)

Airport Workers Rally for Health Care, New Contract

NEW YORK - City and state elected officials will join workers for a rally at John F. Kennedy International Airport today to demand a new contract and …

Women's median weekly earnings for full-time work were $891 in 2020 compared with $1,082 for men. (nito/Adobe Stock)

Gender Pay Gap has Narrowed but Racial Gaps Persist

NEW YORK - Last year on average, women working full-time were paid almost 18% less than men, a gender pay gap that grows much larger for Black and …

The Nelson Mandela Rules, adopted by the United Nations, define isolated confinement of more than 15 days as torture. (karenfoleyphoto/Adobe Stock)

Cuomo Urged to Sign HALT Act

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Prison reform advocates rallied outside Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Manhattan offices and the executive mansion in Albany Sunday, to demand …

The Equality Act builds on the 2020 Supreme Court ruling that the Civil Rights Act prohibits anti-LGBTQ discrimination in employment. (nito/Adobe Stock)

Equality Act Reintroduced in Congress

NEW YORK - A bill to update federal civil-rights laws to include comprehensive protections for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or …

On January 2020, according to an ACLU report, 81% of ICE detainees were being held in privately owned or managed facilities. (Jason/Adobe Stock)

Executive Order Leaves Immigrants in Private Prisons

NEW YORK -- Immigrant advocates say President Joe Biden's executive order to end the use of private prisons is an important first step, but more …

End-of-life care planning has taken on added urgency as COVID-19 cases and deaths have surged. (Halfpoint/Adobe Stock)

A Valentine’s Day Song for End-of-Life Care

NEW YORK -- If you're looking for a unique gift for Valentine's Day, you might consider giving some peace of mind -- by deciding and sharing what …

In 29 states, LGBTQ people can still be evicted, denied health care or turned away from businesses because of their sexual orientation. (Yakobchuk Olena/Adobe Stock)

Rights Advocates See New Hope for Equality Act

NEW YORK -- A new report suggests a bill often promoted as expanding rights for LGBTQ people could benefit a wide spectrum of racial and religious min…

The governor's marijuana-legalization proposal includes assistance to entrepreneurs in communities most affected by the war on drugs. (CascadeCreatives/Adobe Stock)

Drug-Policy Advocates Call for Restitution in Marijuana Legalization

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Drug-policy advocates say marijuana legalization must include dedicated community reinvestment to address the harms done by the war …

Civil-rights advocates point out that police regularly confront social-justice demonstrations with militarized force. (saksuvan/Adobe Stock)

Civil Rights Groups Call for Investigation of Attack on Capitol

NEW YORK - Civil-rights advocates say the police response to a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump was in …

The adults in more than one in five New York households with children fear they won't be able to make rent or mortgage payments on time. (asiraj/Adobe Stock)

Pandemic Increases Hunger, Housing Insecurity for NY Kids

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A new report shows the economic fallout of the COVID pandemic is having a big impact on children, in New York and nationwide…

Since his release from prison, Pascal Shakoure Charpentier has started his own business and founded a nonprofit to mentor at-risk youth. (Photo: Free Shakoure Campaign)

ICE Holding U.S. Citizen for Deportation

NEW YORK -- A Queens man held in immigration detention for more than five months is being threatened with deportation but his lawyer said there's a bi…

Religious exemptions are most often used by employers to discriminate against LGBTQ people. (beavera/Adobe Stock)

New Rule Gives Federal Contractors Broad Right to Discriminate

NEW YORK -- The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a new rule that dramatically expands a federal contractor's ability to claim a religious …

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NY: Human Rights/Racial Justice