Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Nyfw Can't Handle Texture On The Runway, Treashure Lewis

Capstones

NYFW has seemingly made great strides over the years regarding inclusivity and diversity within its runway. But how are they accommodating the models of color that they are hiring? This year, unfortunately, black models are still showing up to runway sets in which the hair stylists hired do not know how to do their hair. This issue dates back to the reign of Naomi Campbell and still has yet to be resolved.

Link: https://brownlewiscapstone.wordpress.com/

Estás En La Sintonía De La Gozadera: En Vivo Desde Cumbiayork, El Movimiento Sonidero Del Futuro, Vita Dadoo

Capstones

For 30 years, New York's sonideros have been making noise on the central avenues of the city's Mexican and Latino ecosystems. The movement, made up of the sonidero (translated literally as "soundman"), his assistants, promoters, fans and dancers, has created a subculture that for a long time defined the relationship between the migrant and his native home in Mexico. Thirty years later, I explore how the movement has evolved, the traits that have distinguished it from the Mexican sonidero movement, and how it continues to flourish under a new generation of deejays.

Nueva York Se Ha Convertido En La Mesa Común Donde Los Pueblos Se Sientan A Compartir, Gustavo Garcia

Capstones

Las personas de las comunidades indígenas y pueblos originarios de México han encontrado formas de revivir sus prácticas y costumbres en su hogar adoptivo en la ciudad de Nueva York. Esto, a pesar de haber dejado sus comunidades de origen y con ellas sus tradiciones que se han inculcado de generación a generación milenariamente. Algunas de ellas pensaron que lo estaban dejando todo atrás cuando migraron de sus hogares. Sin embargo, poco a poco, al transcurso de los años las personas comenzaron a encontrarse, a crear espacios y una red donde las tradiciones no solo son compartidas, sino que se …

De La Discriminación A La Descriminalización: El Camino De Las Mujeres Transgénero De Queens Por Sus Derechos Laborales Como Trabajadoras Sexuales, Bruce Gil, Sara Herschander, Juanita Ramos

Capstones

Una mirada a la legislación propuesta que despenalizaría el trabajo sexual en la ciudad de Nueva York a través de las historias de las trabajadoras sexuales inmigrantes transgénero que se están organizando en Queens, Nueva York.

http://trabajadorxssexuales.tilda.ws

My Face Is Not The Problem, Malique I. Morris

Capstones

In 2019, after a weekend full of rejection in the gayest neighborhood in Los Angeles, I became so ashamed of my phenotypically black facial features, I completely stopped looking in the mirror. As it turns out, I’m one of many black people who have internalized anti-blackness to such an extent. Skin bleaching is a multi-billion-dollar sector of the cosmetics industry, with Africa being its biggest market, and studies show that black people with darker skin and wider noses are more likely to be killed during encounters with the police. So, an honest conversation about systemic racism is actually a conversation …

Bomba And The Evolution Of Puerto Rican Activism In New York, Katherine Smith

Capstones

While Bomba, a traditional dance style that originated in Puerto Rico, has recently become more visible to a mainstream national audience, local activists in New York City have been working for years to promote the art and elevate the history of their community. For dance leaders like Milteri Tucker, Bomba dancing is not only a celebration of Puerto Rico’s African heritage, but an effective way to address social issues within the city’s local and Latino community. She is one of many activists in the city’s history that has used art and community try to uplift the culture and work on …

The Unsung History Of Prince Hall Freemasonry, Ann Seymour

Capstones

Historical review of the history of Prince Hall Freemasonry examined through the experiences of a modern-day member. Prince Hall Freemasonry, the African American branch of the organization, has faced marginalization from the mainstream version of the organization since its inception in the late 18^th century. Despite these struggles, members have remained committed to both the fraternal organization and to fighting for the rights of African Americans in the United States. However, this history has been largely overshadowed by the attention given to mainstream Freemasonry. By speaking with contemporary members of both Prince Hall and mainstream Freemasonry, I created a …

They Dance To Bring Attention To A War. But Who’S Watching?, Fruhlein Chrys Econar

Capstones

Potri Ranka Manis Queano has been at the helm of Kinding Sindaw, the heritage dance troupe she founded, for the last 27 years. When a group of ISIS-affiliated local terrorists attacked Marawi City, the home of the Maranao people, it infused a sense of urgency into her group’s work.

http://www.fruhlein.com/kindingsindaw

Lords From The Desert, Caroline Mercado

Capstones

Lords from the Desert

This work explores a reality that is little talked about: how the most prestigious pre-Columbian art exhibits in the United States hide a murky origin. From looting of temples to illicit art trafficking, to smuggling and collectors’ affairs, the pieces gain value in proportion to the social prestige of their owner. Along the way, the most important is lost: research that provides context and allows us to know history. The First World wins a seductive, but simplistic story. The Third World, from which all these cultures emerge, loses patrimony and possibilities of understanding themselves. A pair …

New Roots: A Transracial Adoption Story, Scarlett Kuang

Capstones

This is a documentary on transracial adoption. Transracial adoption is becoming more and more common in America. In 2011, 4 out of 10 adopted children were raised by families of a different race or ethnicity. Daniel and Lisa Conklins have 11 children. After giving birth to 6, the couple adopted another 5 children from 5 different countries. They live in Castile, a farm town in upstate New York. The then 6-year-old Ezra needs to adapt to a totally new environment and embrace his new family. For Elaina who was adopted as a baby, the challenge is to survive in a …

I Am A Man: How Legacy And Inheritance Bear A Heavy Burden On Black Masculinity In A Raisin In The Sun, Barbershop, And Creed, Aliyah D. Veal

Capstones

This project looks into the connections between black fathers and sons and what impact legacy and inheritance have on black masculinity.

https://medium.com/@aliyah.veal/i-am-a-man-bf8fe5983d85

America's New Favorite Food, Laura E. Duclos, Sshiva Tejas M

Capstones

America's New Favorite Food focuses on the culinary shift the United States is making. The days of burgers and fries are dwindling and tacos are taking over. This short documentary series follows four people who hold distinctive views on Mexican cuisine. Viewers are also able to experience Mexican food in augmented reality, where they can tinker with the models via computer or phone.

LINK TO PROJECT: DuclosTejasCapstone.weebly.com

Nimby: Not In My Backyard, Ariama Long

Capstones

Ariama Long talks to residents in Flatbush, Brooklyn who are clashing with developers over a hotel that houses homeless people. A hotel development has seemingly split the neighborhood. It’s community versus developer and neighbor versus neighbor.

¿Quien Llora A Las Mujeres Invisibles? / Who Mourns The Invisible Women?, Sindy A. Nanclares, Sofía Cerda Campero

Capstones

The average age of death for a transgender woman is 35 years old. Transgender women of color make up 82 percent of the victims of hate crimes and violent deaths in the United States.

This project explores the way in which transgender women have turned their pain and fear into a movement they hope will save their lives. The investigative story and short documentary offer a glimpse to Liaam Winslet, a 30-year-old activist from Ecuador who lives in New York. She examines the cultural disenfranchisement that propels violence against trans women in Latin America. Liaam walks the audience through struggles …

Hair Is The Root Of A Revolution: How Black Women Are Embracing Their Identity With Hair, Shanel Dawson

Capstones

For years, black women have been demeaned for their features; their noses, complexions and hair. Straight hair and wavy hair have been considered “good hair.” And for centuries these ideas have been perpetuated by images in the media, cultural messages and even policies in schools and professional settings.

Today black women, nationwide, are rejecting straightening chemicals and embracing their natural hair as a point of pride. I spoke with several black women who are attempting to distance themselves from these negative narratives by honoring their roots.

For black women in America, hair has been the easiest way to connect on …

Mask On: How Fashion Erased The Politics Of Streetwear In 2017, Frances Sola-Santiago

Capstones

This year, fashion embraced streetwear in the highest echelons of luxury. From a Louis Vuitton and Supreme collaboration to Gucci’s support of Harlem designer Dapper Dan’s store reopening, streetwear was catapulted into the fashion zeitgeist— hoodies, do-rags, sneakers, and chains included. But fashion’s history of temporary blackness questions the industry’s ability to deal with the politics of criminalization, discrimination, appropriation, and inequality that come with this trend.

In an era when white supremacy lives within the mainstream conversation and African Americans and Latinos are disproportionately targeted by police and criminal justice, it’s clear that what we wear and the culture …

Different Names For Bullying, Marco Poggio

Capstones

“There's all different forms of bullying,” says Steven Gray, a Lakota rancher and former law enforcement officer living in South Dakota. In this look into Gray’s life, we learn about two instances of bullying: the psychological and physical harassment that pushed his son, Tanner Thomas Gray, to commit suicide at age 12; And the controversial construction of an oil pipeline in an ancient tribal land that belongs to the Lakota people by rights of a treaty signed in 1851, which Gray sees as an institutional abuse infringing on the sovereignty of his people. Gray is involved in the movement that …

Lgbt In Colombia: A War Within, Monica Espitia

Capstones

On the surface, Colombia appears to be at the vanguard of the gay rights movement, having extended legal rights to same-sex couples and transgender people in recent years. But for many of the nearly five million Colombians who are LGBT, these rights have been largely meaningless as a result of the deep-rooted prejudice that often results in violence.

Gay, lesbian and transgender Colombians have been actively persecuted by armed groups involved in Colombia’s decades-long civil war. Members of the LGBT community are four times more likely than the rest of the population to be threatened and abused by both legal …

Roots On The Record, Joaquin P. Cotler

Capstones

Roots on the Record is a podcast featuring musicians and organizers who use their music to promote social consciousness, cultural awareness, and self-empowerment. The first four episodes focus on a black banjo player named Hubby Jenkins, a Brazilian rapper named Eli Efi, a Honduran DJ named De La Ceiba and a Brazilian-American singer/percussionist named Jen Nascimento. They each have a different relationship with music and teaching in their communities.

https://joaquinpcotler.atavist.com/roots-on-the-record

The Blurred Lines Of Cultural Appropriation, Jaja Grays

Capstones

For centuries, fashion designers, music artists and other celebrities alike have borrowed elements or styles from other cultures for personal gain. In my piece, "The Blurred Lines of Cultural Appropriation," I demonstrate the countless ways celebrities have appropriated different cultures whether at high-end fashion shows or live music performances. Cultural appropriation refers to a privileged culture borrowing or stealing from a marginalized culture-- striping elements of the culture to use it as a prop or for profit. I also discuss how to avoid cultural appropriation and engage in respectful cultural appreciation.