Kicking Off Change: Edafe Okporo’s Community-Centric Campaign for City Council
Profile on Edage Okporo, a candidate in NYC's 2025 District 7 City Council Race
New York’s District 7 Grapples with Escalating Housing Affordability Crisis Amid Soaring Rents
By Sharla SteinmanResidents of Manhattan’s 7th District face a severe and surging housing affordability crisis, with nearly half of all renters burdened by excessive housing costs. The increasing demand for affordable housing is outpacing the available supply, leading to a surge in rental prices. This growing financial strain jeopardizes their ability to maintain stable housing and threatens the community’s diversity and cohesion.The average resident would need to make $140,000 or more annually...
Columbia Bars Vocal Pro-Israel Professor From Campus
Columbia University has temporarily barred a vocal pro-Israel professor from campus, saying he repeatedly harassed and intimidated the school’s employees.Shai Davidai, an assistant professor in the business school, has been a polarizing presence on campus since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas led an attack on Israel that has turned Gaza into a battlefield. He has accused Columbia of not doing enough to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which he says are broadly antisemitic and support terro...
Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian Students at Columbia Hold Side-by-Side Protests
Columbia University has been a focal point of anger and tensions over the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year and the war in Gaza that has followed. On Monday, the anniversary of the attack, it took on that role once again, as students and faculty held rallies, class walkouts and vigils to mourn the lives lost in both Israel and Gaza.Outside the university gates, about 100 members of the Jewish community gathered holding Israeli flags and posters showing the faces of people kidnapped...
About Me
Hello! I'm a journalist based in New York currently attending Columbia Journalism School.
My work has been featured in The New York Times and Uncloseted Media. I also assisted The Associated Press on their 2024 election tabulation.
I'm most interested in metro and breaking news reporting, covering politics, crime, police, business, lifestyle, and the community.
My Latest Work
New Yorkers Protest as White House Defends Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia
As hundreds of demonstrators made their way through Lower Manhattan on Tuesday to protest the detention of a prominent pro-Palestinian activist at Columbia University, the White House defended the arrest and rebuked the school for what it called lack of cooperation.The activist, Mahmoud Khalil, was a leader of student protests on Columbia’s campus and often served as a negotiator and spokesman. Mr. Khalil, 30, who is Palestinian and was born and raised in Syria, is a legal permanent resident of...
Among American Jews, a Schism Over Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil’s Arrest
The arrest of a former Columbia University graduate student who gained prominence amid that campus’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations has divided the American Jewish community, which finds itself trying to reconcile a longstanding focus on Jewish safety and support for Israel with a historical commitment to civil liberties.Immigration authorities’ detention of the activist, Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident, has satisfied some American Jews who had wished for aggressive action from Columb...
The HIV Crisis People Aren't Talking About: Why Black Women Are 10 Times More at Risk
Republished in Gay Times and The Emancipator
Kicking Off Change: Edafe Okporo’s Community-Centric Campaign for City Council
Profile on Edage Okporo, a candidate in NYC's 2025 District 7 City Council Race
New York’s District 7 Grapples with Escalating Housing Affordability Crisis Amid Soaring Rents
By Sharla SteinmanResidents of Manhattan’s 7th District face a severe and surging housing affordability crisis, with nearly half of all renters burdened by excessive housing costs. The increasing demand for affordable housing is outpacing the available supply, leading to a surge in rental prices. This growing financial strain jeopardizes their ability to maintain stable housing and threatens the community’s diversity and cohesion.The average resident would need to make $140,000 or more annually...
Columbia Bars Vocal Pro-Israel Professor From Campus
Columbia University has temporarily barred a vocal pro-Israel professor from campus, saying he repeatedly harassed and intimidated the school’s employees.Shai Davidai, an assistant professor in the business school, has been a polarizing presence on campus since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas led an attack on Israel that has turned Gaza into a battlefield. He has accused Columbia of not doing enough to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which he says are broadly antisemitic and support terro...
Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian Students at Columbia Hold Side-by-Side Protests
Columbia University has been a focal point of anger and tensions over the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year and the war in Gaza that has followed. On Monday, the anniversary of the attack, it took on that role once again, as students and faculty held rallies, class walkouts and vigils to mourn the lives lost in both Israel and Gaza.Outside the university gates, about 100 members of the Jewish community gathered holding Israeli flags and posters showing the faces of people kidnapped...