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On June 4 at 7 p.m., House of Yes in Brooklyn will host a screening of the short film “Bodega.” This captivating story follows a young queer Black woman who experiences love at first sight, with social media content creator and model Ocean van Exel portraying the woman of her dreams.

Written and directed by Sharik Atkinson (she/they), “Bodega” is driven by Atkinson’s profound desire to bring more queer stories to both big and small screens that aren’t centered around the trauma of “coming out.” After the screening of “Bodega,” there will be a cast Q&A session moderated by Womxn in Windows.

While Atkinson makes her directorial debut with this short, she is no stranger to the film industry. She has contributed to major productions, including NBCU’s  “Genie,” “’Law & Order SVU,” and Netflix’s “Manifest.” She has also produced commercials for renowned brands including Foot Locker, Apple, and Google. Atkinson currently serves as the social media director at a prominent production and development company.

In the role of the young woman’s crush, content creator, model, and actress Ocean van Exel delivers a sublime and memorable performance. Born in Amsterdam and now calling New York City home, this out and proud lesbian with Surinamese, Black, Asian, and Dutch roots is a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ community. Her content focuses on lifestyle, fashion, and the queer experience. Notably, she is known for her TikTok series, “Femme Talk Fridays” and “The Femme Dressing Room,” which highlight and uplift queer voices through fashion, storytelling, and community building. She has also modeled for brands like VS Pink, Lucky Brand, and Champion. Ocean van Exel is certainly one to watch.

Here is what Ocean van Exel had to share about stepping into her first short film “Bodega,” being a successful content creator, and why LGBTQ+ stories are so important.

AmNews: Who are you versus the person people on social media think you are?

Ocean Van Exel: I would like to think that I am similar online to who I am offline. I try to authentically show who I am and the things that I care about. Surprisingly, social media has taught me not to take myself so seriously. There are obviously parts of my life that people do not see, but at the end of the day, I am just a girl who loves to talk about queer things and look stylish while doing it!

AMN: What does it mean to be LGBTQ+ in 2024?

OVE: It means to be ourselves and to express ourselves fully without limits. Living in the digital era, we can connect in a way that is different from before, and it is so important to use our digital platforms to protect and stand up for each other. Being queer is to be yourself unapologetically, and I love seeing people having fun, living their truth, and I am rooting for every queer person, always.

AMN: Do you know your Queer history? If so, what’s the importance of young folks knowing it?

OVE: I believe that Queer history is such a huge and integral part of our culture. Living in NYC as a lesbian, it is almost impossible not to know the Queer history. Especially being surrounded by queer historical establishments like Stonewall Inn and some of the first lesbian bars in America like Cubbyhole and Henrietta Hudson—I feel privileged and empowered by the rich, deep history living in this city. The Herstory Archives in Brooklyn is one of my favorite places to visit because it showcases documented sapphic history which is beautiful to witness. The ability to access these historic spaces is truly amazing—but honestly, my favorite way to learn is through people. The queer people that have lived to tell the tales of their time and the way they have contributed to shaping our culture and have fought for our rights today is so impactful. Most importantly, I love hearing queer stories first hand because it is so inspiring to know where we came from to see how far we have come and where we are headed.

AMN: How do you keep yourself balanced? Do you balance your life away from social media?

OVE: Finding a balance can be a challenge, especially since getting sucked into social media is so easy. However, I was an athlete when I was younger—so fitness is a huge aspect of my life still, and I love to keep myself occupied through physical activities such as running, soccer, and dancing. I also enjoy picking up different DIY hobbies and learning how to create things with my hands like accessories and thrifting items that I can style.

AMN: Why did you say yes to this short film?

OVE: I said yes to being in “Bodega” because I loved the vision of seeing a POC lesbian love story unfold that wasn’t tied to trauma about coming out. Lesbian representation is so important, and we need to see more of it. Being able to be a part of anything queer in the media was super exciting but equally important to me.

To book your tickets to see “Bodega” visit https://www.houseofyes.org/

The post A celebration of queer love in the short film ‘Bodega’ appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

The New York African Chorus Ensemble, NYP 30th Precinct, and Community Council presented the 15th Annual NYC Multicultural Festival at Jackie Robinson Park Bandshell in Harlem. Festival Founder and Director Joyce Adewumi with Wille Walker opened the Festival.

Bill Moore photos

The post PHOTOS: NYC Multicultural Festival is a hit in Harlem appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

At 16, Katya Kondragunta has already lived through two disasters amped up by climate change. First came wildfires in California in 2020, when ash and smoke forced her family to stay in their home in the Bay Area city of Fremont for weeks.

Then they moved to Prosper, Texas, where she dealt with record-setting heat last summer.

“We’ve had horrible heat waves and they’ve impacted my everyday life,” the high school junior said. “I’m in cross country…I’m supposed to go outside and run every single day to get my mileage in.”

Kondragunta said in school, she hasn’t learned about how climate change is intensifying these events, and she hopes that will change when she gets to college.

Increasingly, U.S. colleges are creating climate change programs to meet demand from students who want to apply their firsthand experience to what they do after high school, and help find solutions.

“Lots of centers and departments have renamed themselves or been created around these climate issues, in part because they think it will attract students and faculty,” said Kathy Jacobs, director of the University of Arizona Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions. The center launched a decade ago and connects several climate programs at the school in Tucson.

Other early movers that created programs, majors, minors, and certificates dedicated to climate change include the University of Washington, Yale University, Utah State University, University of Montana, Northern Vermont University, and University of California, Los Angeles. Columbia, the private university in New York City, opened its Climate School in 2020 with a graduate degree in climate and society, and has related undergraduate programs in the works.

Just in the past four years, the public Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, Iowa State, Nashville private university Vanderbilt, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and others have started climate-related studies. Hampton University, a private, historically Black university in Virginia, is building one now, and the University of Texas at Austin will offer its version this fall.

The fact that climate change is affecting more people is one factor. The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in U.S. history, and growth in climate-focused jobs, are also increasing interest, experts say.

In these programs, students learn how the atmosphere is changing as a result of burning coal, oil and gas, and the way crops will shift with the warming planet and the role of renewable energy in cutting use of fossil fuels.

They dive into how to communicate about climate with the public, ethical, and environmental justice aspects of climate solutions and the roles lawmakers and businesses play in cutting greenhouse gases.

Students also cover disaster response and ways communities can prepare and adapt before climate change worsens. Offerings require biology, chemistry, physics, and social sciences faculty, among others.

“It’s not just ‘oh, yeah, climate, global warming, environmental stuff,’” said Lydia Conger, a senior who enrolled at Utah State specifically for its climate science studies. “It has these interesting technical parts in math and physics, but then also has this element of geology, oceanography, and ecology.”

When higher ed institutions put their programs together, they often draw on existing meteorology and atmospheric sciences studies. Some put climate in sustainability or environmental science departments, but climate tracks have to go beyond those to satisfy some incoming students.

In Kennebunk, Maine, high school junior Will Eagleson has lived through storms that caused coastal destruction, and the sea level is rising in his hometown. As the 17-year-old considers college, he said to get his attention, schools must “narrow it down from environmental and Earth science as a whole, to more climate change-focused programs.”

For Lucia Everist, a senior at Edina High School in Minnesota who is frustrated at her own lack of climate education so far, schools need to go deeper on the human impact of climate change. She cited disproportionate impact on Black, Latino, Indigenous, and low-income neighborhoods.

“I looked a lot into the curriculum itself,” the 18-year-old said of her college search. Everywhere she applied, “I made sure (it) had the social aspect just as much as the science aspect.”

Climate students need to learn everything from healthcare to how to store clean solar and wind energy, said Megan Latshaw, who runs the Johns Hopkins University master’s programs in its Environmental Health and Engineering Department. The school has a graduate degree in energy policy and climate, and also offers two certificates that include the term climate change.

“It’s the flooding. It’s the heat waves. It’s the wildfires. It’s the air pollution that’s generated when we’re burning fossil fuels. It’s allergies. It’s water scarcity, and people who may have to flee where they’ve lived for their entire life,” Latshaw said. The university looks into weaving climate change into its schools of public health, engineering, education, medicine, nursing, and more, she said.

Another factor may be that many colleges around the country face declining enrollment and less public funding, pushing them to market new degrees to stay relevant.

Many small, private colleges have had to shut down over the last decade with fewer students graduating from high school and more opting for career-oriented training. The same pressures are affecting large public university systems, which have cut academic programs and faculty to close gaps in budgets.

“There is definitely some part of academia that just simply responds to consumer demand,” said John Knox, undergraduate coordinator for the University of Georgia’s Atmospheric Sciences program, who is considering whether the school should offer a climate certificate. “In the end, I’m worried more about our students succeeding than marketing something to somebody.”

The post Graduating seniors seek degrees in climate change and more U.S. universities deliver appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Pedro Martinez is an iconic former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992 to 2009. He was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, winning Cy Young Awards in 1997, 1999, and 2000.

Born and raised in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic, a suburb of Santo Domingo, the island nation’s capital, Martinez the first pitcher to earn the award in both the American and National Leagues. He won his first and only World Series title with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.

The Amsterdam News spoke exclusively with Martinez at the Sports Emmys last week at Jazz at Lincoln Center about his time playing for the New York Mets from 2005 to 2008, memorable battles against the New York Yankees throughout his career, and the pitchers he enjoys watching the most in today’s game.

“Just the fans, the atmosphere,” Martinez, who had a career record of 219-100, said of his time playing at Shea Stadium, former home of the Mets. “I remember the fans not really being all that demanding. Not really expecting all that much, even though we went really far. But I remember just how happy everybody was just to see us on the field, just to see each one of us.

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“Believe it or not, I really enjoyed my time in Queens. I really enjoyed the atmosphere with the fans and the back and forth. The kids (were) always fielding balls in the outfield. I used to love flipping balls all over the bleachers just to see the kids catch (them). I love the way they behave over there in Queens.”

Martinez, who is now a baseball analyst for Turner Sports, also looked back on facing the Yankees nearly two decades ago.

“I had the saddest moment in my career at Yankee Stadium in (2003) and also the happiest moment in (2004), when we were able to come back from 0-3 and beat them in their own stadium,” Martinez said. “That was like it for me. The biggest highlight of my career is always going to be being able to beat the Yankees after being (down) 0-3 (in the American League Championship Series) and doing it in the old Yankee Stadium before they tore it down.”

As MLB has evolved and rules were implemented to increase the pace of the game, including a pitch clock, which limits the time pitchers can take between pitches, the eight-time MLB All-Star discussed some of the men who command the mound in the current era whom he finds compelling.

“Right now, I’m really getting to enjoy Tyler Glasnow,” Martinez said of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher. “I believe Tyler Glasgow brings back some memories because he’s a bully. I love Gerrit Cole, (Justin) Verlander, all those guys. Jacob deGrom—I love deGrom. I don’t get enough of deGrom, but he needs to be healthy. Right now, I’m really intrigued about Tyler Glasnow finishing the entire season and seeing what he’s capable of doing.”

The post Baseball Hall of Famer and former Met Pedro Martinez reflects on his career appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here