Nine Democratic Party-aligned governors have signed onto a letter asserting their concerns about the censorship now taking place among school textbook publishers like McGraw Hill Education, Pearson, Cengage Learning, Goodheart-Willcox, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, Savvas Learning Co., Scholastic, and Teachers Curriculum Institute.
The governors of New Jersey (Phil Murphy), Illinois (JB Pritzker), Maryland (Wes Moore), U.S. Virgin Islands (Albert Bryan Jr.), Massachusetts (Maura Healey), New Mexico (Michelle Lujan Grisham), New York (Kathy Hochul), Rhode Island (Dan McKee), and Washington (Jay Inslee) all added their names to a letter challenging rightwing censorship.
“Sanitizing our educational texts for the mercurial comfort of a few today ultimately limits the next generation’s ability to make informed decisions for themselves,” the letter said. “Moreover, the negative impact that censorship and book-banning has on this nation’s students––many already marginalized and underrepresented in society––cannot be overstated during a time when we are facing an unprecedented youth mental health crisis. Each and every single student in the United States of America has the right to exist, to be seen, and to be represented. It is an important priority of our administrations to ensure that any educational materials censored to appeal to political pressure do not negatively impact our educational goals and values in our states.
“…please know that we will be working closely with all of our school districts to ensure they are fully informed of which texts include comprehensive and accurate educational information––and which have been inappropriately censored––when they consider procurement of instructional materials for the nearly 9 million students our states serve.”
New York state ranks as No. 47 out of the country’s 50 states in WalletHub’s new report “2023’s Best States for Racial Equality in Education.” In terms of Black children being able to obtain racial equality in education, New York only outpaces Connecticut, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Much of this has to do with the fact that, in New York City at least, local public schools can receive additional funding from higher income earning parents who bring additional resources to a school. Because of income inequality, white parents tend to be able to fund more programs for their children’s schools than Black parents can.
“Recent years have brought increases in racial isolation within schools and an increase in the number of racially identifiable schools,” East Carolina University’s Dr. Crystal Renee Chambers told WalletHub. “Given correlations between race and wealth with attendant reliance on local property taxes to fund education, there is a racially identifiable impact on school funding.”
And University of California, San Diego’s Dr. Holly Okonkwo noted that “whole communities have been barred from access to well-resourced neighborhoods and schools based on race. At the same time, schools in Black and brown communities continue to be underfunded and under-resourced which further contributes to the racial wealth gap.”
Every year, as temperatures soar during the scorching summer months, the searing heat experienced in New York City is increasingly exacerbated by climate change and will also be amplified by another factor: the city itself.
The city’s densely packed buildings and dark pavement absorb and radiate heat from the sun, trapping heat and making the city feel like an oven. This phenomenon is known as the “heat island effect,” and our concrete jungle is the third-most intense heat island in the U.S., behind only Newark, N.J., and New Orleans, Louisiana.
“New York is definitely one of the epicenters for heat,” said Vivek Shandas, professor of climate adaptation and founder and director of the Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab at Portland State University. “Unfortunately, what we’ve done in our cities is really build them out so much that we’ve eliminated a lot of the green space and trees…and very disproportionately.”
This phenomenon has an impact on some parts of the city more than others. Here’s why it’s important to understand to stay safe this summer.
Why is the heat island effect dangerous?
Rising temperatures due to climate change are creating conditions for more extreme floods, hurricanes, and storms, but extreme heat is the deadliest of them. On average, more than 67,000 people in the United States end up in emergency rooms every year due to heat-related health issues.
In New York City, the number of emergency room visits for heat have gone back up since they dipped in the summer of 2020. There were 370 heat-exacerbated fatalities in the city in 2021, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).
“It’s gotten to a point where it’s actually killing more people every year,” Shandas said. “And it’s often…Black and brown communities, older communities, communities that have been historically more marginalized that are facing the brunt of the impacts from urban heat.”
Mapping the hottest neighborhoods
Trapped heat is made worse by a lack of trees and greenery, and building designs that restrict air flow, creating neighborhoods with hot and stagnant air.
High disinvestment in neighborhoods like Harlem, Hunts Point, and East Flatbush—linked to historical practices like redlining and redirecting public infrastructure resources to wealthier neighborhoods—intensifies the heat island effect in those areas.
In 2021, Harlem was nearly 10 degrees hotter than other neighborhoods surrounding Central Park. To make matters worse, the density of cooling centers—designated public facilities like libraries and senior centers that were open during heat emergencies for New Yorkers to cool down—is lower in some of the most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods.
Last summer, Shandas and a team at the New York Environmental Justice Alliance worked on a project to measure air temperatures all around New York, expanding on a project from the previous year focused on the Bronx. Community volunteers fanned across the city on foot and on bicycles, collecting up-to-the-minute temperature changes in different neighborhoods of the city.
“We were able to show, at very high resolution, how areas that have been historically kind of disinvested,” Shandas said. He said their research found that Harlem and the Bronx were consistently 10 degrees higher than some highly built-out areas in lower Manhattan.
Trees play a critical role in mitigating the effect. A European study recently published in the Lancet found that 30% of deaths caused by the heat island effect could be prevented with more tree cover. Trees provide shade that can significantly decrease temperatures and release water into the atmosphere, cooling the air. Shandas called trees “the original air conditioning systems” for society.
Trees also offer energy-saving benefits, such as lowering electric bills and preventing the evaporation of harmful organic compounds from gas tanks in shaded parking lots. Every year, through June 30, New York City residents can apply to have a tree planted on their street. But as resilient as trees are, they require lots of care—pruning, watering—to thrive and provide those cooling benefits in cities.
Despite new federal investment in environmental justice remedies, lots of neighborhood cooling efforts rely on community members volunteering their time to bring about these changes and check in on their neighbors.
Heat stress is the mildest form of heat-related illness and typically presents with symptoms such as heavy sweating, fatigue, muscle cramps, dizziness, and headache. If not addressed, it can progress to heat exhaustion, characterized by increased body temperature, rapid heartbeat, nausea, weakness, and clammy skin. Heat exhaustion requires immediate attention to prevent it from advancing to heat stroke.
“I always people tell that heat distress can happen in the young and old, and sometimes it comes on very quickly and you’re in the middle before you realize it,” said Lauren Smalls-Mantey, a senior environmental systems scientist studying extreme heat for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).
Even when temperatures drop at night, prolonged periods of hot weather can still cause heat distress, Smalls-Mantey added. This is because the body hasn’t had a chance to recover from high daytime temperatures. At night, indoor temperatures in homes without A/C “can be higher than the outdoor temperature because buildings tend to retain heat after prolonged periods of hot weather,” she said.
The CDC recommends staying hydrated by drinking water regularly, especially in hot weather or when engaging in physical activities. Wearing lightweight, loose-fitting, and breathable clothing, and avoiding direct sun exposure during peak hours in the early afternoons is best for the hotter summer days. Take frequent breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas and be mindful of the signs of heat-related illness in oneself and others.
Prevention is key to avoiding getting sick in the heat. If staying cool at home isn’t possible during a heat emergency, call 311 to find the nearest cooling center.
“When you see these heat warnings, pay attention and be careful,” said Smalls-Mantey. “Hydrate, make sure you know your options.”
The federally funded, state-administered Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) of the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) provides a limited number of air conditioning units on a first-come, first-served basis as part of the summer Cooling Assistance Component. Eligible low-income residents can apply online or in person at one of HRA’s benefits access centers, which also can be found by calling 311.
Until enough adaptations are in place to create equitably cooler cities, climbing temperatures will continue to disrupt lives. Smalls-Mantey said that solving for extreme heat requires not just inter-agency cooperation and funding, but also community education to be effective.
“We have to do education toward heat safety,” she said.
By HWM Partnership The Urban Outreach Center NYC, a prominent nonprofit organization, is on a mission to combat food insecurity and uplift underserved communities in East Harlem and the Upper East Side. Beyond traditional food pantries, UOC strives to address the broader needs of its beneficiaries, providing access to healthy foods, personal hygiene items, clothing,…
By HWM Last night, while more than 150 climate-driven wildfires in Quebec shrouded New York in thick, toxic smoke, the Senate passed the NY HEAT Act. This legislation would move New York to the fossil fuels responsible for particulate matter, or PM2.5, currently poisoning the air. In the waning days of the session, it’s up to the…
It seems wild to think that an employer would not hire someone because of their height or body type, but such is the world we live in. At least in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams recently signed into law a ban on discrimination because of a person’s height or weight in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
“We all deserve the same access to employment, housing, and public accommodation, regardless of our appearance, and it shouldn’t matter how tall you are or how much you weigh,” Adams said at the signing. “When you’re looking for a job, you are out on our town, or you are trying to get some form of accommodation or apartment to rent, you should not be treated differently. It creates more inclusive workplaces and living environments, and it protects against discrimination.”
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) states that “height and weight requirements tend to disproportionately limit the employment opportunities of some protected groups.” Unless employers can demonstrate during the hiring process why they need to know someone’s measurements, it’s technically illegal under federal law to even ask.
“Workers come in all shapes and sizes and that is a good thing,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
The bill, Intro. 209-A, was sponsored by Councilmember Shaun Abreu and similarly creates an exemption where a certain height or weight is necessary to “performing essential requirements” of a job.
Adams thanked Abreu for thinking outside the box about real equality in employment. Abreu said he owes an immense debt of gratitude to all the people who shared their stories of dealing with this “silent burden,” the organizations that helped spearhead the campaign that resulted in the bill, and all the advocates who helped push for the bill.
“Size discrimination is a social justice issue and a public health threat,” Abreu said in a statement. “People with different body types are denied access to job opportunities and equal wages—and they have had no legal recourse to contest it. Worse yet, millions are taught to hate their bodies.”
The first wave of body positivity protests began in Central Park in 1967 when about 500 people gathered to call out persistent bias against “fat” people. This led to the founding of the National Association to Aid Fat Americans (NAAFA) in 1969, later renamed the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. The group went on to treat fat phobia in healthcare, employment, and education as a serious civil rights issue, inspired by Black and women-led social justice movements of the time.
“This is such a powerful moment for anyone who has ever faced discrimination simply because of the size of their body,” said Tigress Osborn, co-founder of the Campaign for Size Freedom and NAAFA chair. “When the mayor of one the most iconic cities in the world agrees that size discrimination is unacceptable, it sends a message to leaders all over the country, and all over the world, that creating equal opportunities and accessible communities for people of all sizes should be a priority.”
Osborn added that while attitudes can’t be legislated, people can do everything in their power to ensure that everyone is treated equally and has equal opportunity under the law.
To the criticism that body and fat positivity can be unhealthy, Adams said that he is an avid health advocate. “We are going to continue to talk about our progressive health agenda and science has [shown] that body type is not a connection to [being] healthy or unhealthy. I think that’s a misnomer that we are dispelling,” said Adams.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
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Harlem Bespoke also has a Twitter account with over 6,730 followers for those who want daily updates about stuff that is happening in the neighborhood. If you Twitter, check out our Harlem tweets and join here: LINK
Saturday, June 10th, 12:00PM–2:00PM, The Billion Oyster Project at The Baylander, West Harlem Piers on the Hudson at 125th Street. Come see the Billion Oyster Project on the Baylander’s Jungle Deck. Learn about the project’s latest effort to restore our harbor! Oysters are the green way to filter New York waterways and used to be one of the most abundant species with the local ecosystem. The Billion Oyster Project has been successfully re-introducing the bivalves back in the greater New York Harbor and has a goal of one billion oysters in the waters by the time 2035 rolls around. More details at the city parks site: LINK
