Facebook Twitter Instagram
718 426 7200
Facebook Twitter Instagram

Beyond the Market: Alternative Ways to House New York

BQE Admin on March 16, 2026

By TAYLOR MACEWEN

While most New Yorkers are not housing experts, navigating the city’s housing market necessitates knowing your options, as well as the factors limiting those options — limitations feeding the city’s affordability crisis and inspiring organizers and activists to find another way.

“We now actually have more housing per capita per person than we have in decades,” said Memo Salazar, co-chair of the board of the Western Queens Community Land Trust. “How can the crisis be that terrible and yet the numbers don’t reflect that? It’s because people are looking at housing as a commodity and not a place to live.”

Beyond the open market exists an ecosystem of alternative housing models. Here are several models housing advocates say  could bring sustained affordability by deprioritizing profit.

Public Housing

Subsidies create pathways for the construction of these housing facilities — like Long Island City’s Queensbridge Houses — while local agencies provide operational support. Rent is proportional to a tenant’s income, usually 30%. A 2020 report by the Community Service Society (CSS) of New York describes how on-site punitive policies and stigma towards historically low-income residents of color weakens their social network in the community, exacerbating political disempowerment.

The aim of perpetual affordability depends entirely on government stewards resisting market influence when funding is threatened, as corporate owners can opt out when contracts expire. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also significantly reduced corporate tax rates, weakening incentives for building investors. According to its  2025 Fact Sheet, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) — the largest in the United States, housing 1 in 16 New Yorkers — is consistently billions of dollars behind funding goals.

Rent Regulation

Rent regulated units are common amongst low-income renters as legal safeguards to protect affordability from direct market pressures. Indirectly, the market’s pressure on landlords can stall necessary maintenance, who may see no financial return on unit improvements due to limitations on raising rent. Prioritizing providing housing, rather than turning a profit on housing, is a central goal for tenant organizers and analysts. A goal many call ‘decommodification.’

“Rent stabilization is a move lessening the commodity status of housing, while not fully decommodifying it,” said Samuel Stein, a Housing Policy Analyst at CSS. “Think about decommodification as a process in a spectrum rather than a binary.”

Limited Equity

Limited Equity Housing Cooperatives (LEHCs) provide lower rents and self-determination of a community’s living conditions. Residents purchase shares in a nonprofit-owned property, pay low monthly maintenance fees and elect a building operations board.

“If we need to raise our own maintenance fee, we decide when. It’s not just because somebody wants to make more money,” said Stein, himself an LEHC resident. “I don’t have this thing in my head about property values where if my neighborhood gentrifies then maybe I can sell for more money. I can just think of it as a place to live, not as a long-term investment. That frees me up to not practice any of the class politics of homeownership.”

Residents of Mitchell-Lama co-ops, a common LEHC for example, cannot sell on the free market, only back to the co-op. The apartment goes to the next person on a waitlist, removing the building from speculative circulation.

The 1959 inclusion of rentals to the program offered additional oversight but no ownership, and established a privatization pathway that has pulled many buildings back into the market. Increased investment interest and building costs mean no new Mitchell-Lama buildings have been established since 1981.

Co-op City in the Bronx. Photo via NYC.gov

HDFCs and CLTs

According to analysts and urban planners, Housing Development Fund Corporations (HDFCs) and Community Land Trusts (CLTs) represent the most structurally robust approaches to permanent affordability.

Initially a response to the strategic disinvestment across lower-income neighborhoods of color in the 1970s and ‘80s, HDFCs buy buildings and sell affordable shares to tenants, much like LEHCs. Tenants may later sell on the free market at unrestricted prices to buyers below a certain income range. Without additional provisions, tenants may sell at high prices to buyers with low-incomes but massive assets.

CLTs are nonprofits separating land from building ownership entirely, buying land and leasing it to organizations like HDFCs. Effectively removing land costs — one of the primary engines of property appreciation — from the affordability equation altogether.

“It’s the only model I can see where there’s an actual affordability element built in,” said Salazar. “And not just for today, but for years — like, hundreds of years from now.”

Their primary obstacle is long-term operational funding, ideally from a government yet to consistently commit.

A Starting Point

The Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act and the Social Housing Development Authority bill are currently being considered by the state senate. The former establishes tenants’ right to purchase their building as an LEHC when owners sell. The latter establishes a corporation for the sake of purchasing affordable housing. The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act was recently brought back to the New York City Council, and would give nonprofit community groups priority to purchase housing.

“This is happening right now, even though we need new laws to scale it up,” said Stein. “It can feel impossible to a tenant who’s stuck paying rent to some LLC they’ve never actually encountered. But it is a real thing, and with the right laws we can make it a much more common experience.”

Residents Allege CODE Nightclub Brings Chaos to Steinway

BQE Admin on March 13, 2026

Exterior of CODE Nightclub, currently facing allegations of public disturbance from residents across the neighborhood.

BY COLE SINANIAN

STEINWAY — Astoria resident Jenny was hesitant to sign the lease for her apartment on Steinway Street. The Nashville native moved to the city in September to be close to her adult sons, and was drawn to Astoria for its lively dining scene, rich culture and quieter streetscape compared to Manhattan.

But when she asked her broker if CODE — a nearby nightclub located at 20-30 Steinway — was loud or disruptive, the broker accused her of being a “difficult tenant.” Despite her reservations she decided to sign the lease. She will not be renewing it.

“I will be leaving in September,” Jenny said. “I won’t live here any longer because of CODE.”

The nightclub, which opened in 2023, has made headlines recently for its loud weekend parties that reach into the early morning, often sending intoxicated patrons to spill into the surrounding residential streets when the club closes at 4am Thursdays-Sundays. Neighbors describe street fights, underaged drinking, drag racing, drunk driving, shouting and constant honking that makes it hard to sleep. Ineffective enforcement, meanwhile, has brought little relief despite hundreds of police summonses and 311 complaints, neighbors say.

The nightclub also operates a valet service, which residents allege blocks bus stops and parking spots, and has at times led to potentially dangerous situations.

“The valet, I’ve seen them push people that couldn’t stand up in a car to drive,” Jenny said. “They’re entitled to have a club, I get it,” she continued. “It’s just the congregating, the cars, it’s like everyone that comes out and gets in a car wants to lay on their horn, or they’re racing.  It’s almost like 20th is a drag strip.”

According to a spokesperson for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (DCPI), police with the 114th Precinct have issued 170 summonses for parking violations and eight criminal court summonses since the start of 2025. On January 1, 2026, officers responded to a 911 call for underage drinking at CODE, resulting in two criminal court summonses. On December 27, 2025, officers conducted a noise inspection using a decibel meter in several locations around the establishment, yielding negative results. More recently, on March 1, 2026, officers from the 114th conducted an inspection at CODE, resulting in 12 criminal court summonses, as well as two for public urination, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Jenny declined to give her full name for fear of doxxing and harassment. On February 16, the local Fox5 news channel aired a segment on CODE, during which neighbors described piles of vomit on the street in the morning and accidents caused by club patrons drunk driving. The names, license plates, and addresses of the neighbors interviewed were revealed during the segment, causing alarm among some Astorians on the internet.

“They doxxed the neighbors, first and last names,” wrote one Reddit user. “Then showed their apartment buildings, license plates, and even zoomed in on a second story window.

CODE management did not respond to the Journal’s requests for comment. Property record database ACRIS shows that the property is owned by the private equity firm Simon Equity Partners. The building that’s now CODE was previously a club called Central, which Queens Community Board 1 District Manager Florence Koulouris described as a “Mediterranean upscale lounge.” Koulouris said her office rarely received complaints about Central, which went out of business during COVID.

Koulouris urged concerned residents to call 311 with their complaints about CODE. This way, she said, authorities can use the threat of fines to compel CODE management to comply with local law. But Koulouris  also acknowledged the difficulty in enforcing noise complaints and disturbances that occur outside of CODE premises. The community board can only revoke the business’s liquor license, for example, for violations occurring on the property itself.

“The issues are from patrons who left the scene, but it didn’t happen on the premises,” she said. “When you’re talking about a liquor license, the effect of the liquor license has to be within the doors of the premises. If it’s happening in the street, it’s a different agency.”

Upscaling Queens: Local Leaders Brainstorm Ideas for the Future of the World’s Borough

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

At a symposium at La Guardia Community College last Thursday, elected officials and business leaders discussed challenges and opportunities facing Queens. 

BY COLE SINANIAN 

cole@queensledger.com 

LONG ISLAND CITY — “The City and the State are broke. The Feds? Who the hell knows what the Feds are doing. Our destiny is in our hands.”

This was Queens Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Grech’s message to the several dozen business leaders, politicians, students and members of the public gathered at La Guardia Community College’s Performing Arts Center on Thursday, March 5. They had come to hear Grech, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, City councilmembers Julie Won, and more than a dozen local leaders discuss visions for a more equitable Queens at a symposium hosted by the Center for an Urban Future.

Grech’s message of economic independence for Queens in the face of unreliable City, State, and Federal governments resonated throughout the half-day event, where several speakers highlighted the importance of nurturing a local tech industry while investing in community development and taking care of an aging and housing-insecure population. The concept of a Queens where one could “live, work and play” without ever having  to cross borough lines — a key focus of the Richards Administration — also underpinned the discussion.

“I think all of us can relate to that coming out of the pandemic,” Richards said. “We were all stuck in the house. We got to learn where our parks were. We got to work on our cultural organizations, and we want to strengthen the fabric of those organizations as we move forward.”

Richards, a former City councilmember, was elected Borough President in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key to his economic agenda was to “build back better” by not only restoring Queens’ pre-COVID economy, but by addressing inequities moving forward. Seated across from Center for an Urban Future Executive Director Jonathan Bowles, Richards pointed to several recent affordable housing developments as examples of his “build back better”  plan in action, including the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan — a 230-block rezoning approved by the City Council in October that would add nearly 4,000 permanently affordable homes to the Jamaica neighborhood.

But there’s still work to be done. More than one-quarter of Queens renter households spent more than 50% of their income on rent in 2023, according to an NYU Furman Center study.

Richards reiterated his support for Mayor Mamdani’s proposed Sunnyside Yards redevelopment — which would add 12,000 units of affordable housing to Sunnyside — but criticized the mayor’s proposed 9.5% property tax increase to help close the City’s $5.4 billion budget gap. He argued it could further restrict Black New Yorkers —  who’ve already struggled to own property due to racist policies like redlining — from accumulating wealth.

“It’s unfortunate that where I’m from, a house can go for 700,000 and in Brooklyn, you can have a brownstone that’s worth $5 million and they’re paying less taxes,” Richards said. “It’s very inequitable.”

He continued: “ We couldn’t get a mortgage in a lot of instances. So when you see everyday black New Yorkers who finally obtain a home, this is a pathway to upward mobility for their children to pass something down.”

William Jourdain, executive director of the local nonprofit Woodside on the Move, used his speech to draw attention to the elderly population of Queens, many of whom live month-to-month and are struggling under climbing costs of living. He told the story of his mother, a proud union member and longtime worker in the city’s hospitality industry, who, after being forced into early retirement by the pandemic, now must take money from her son in order to stay afloat amid ever rising living costs.

“But here’s the question that keeps me up at night: What about the seniors who don’t have someone like me?” Jourdain said. “They are the workers who kept the city running. They built New York. The least we can do is make sure they can afford to live in it.”

A 2023 study from the Center for an Urban Future counted 400,000 Queens residents aged 65 and older, some 14% of whom live below the poverty line—  the fourth highest of any county in New York State.

Jourdain urged the City and State to create a dedicated housing subsidy for the elderly to ensure they’re spending no more than 1/3 of their income on rent. Such a subsidy, Jourdain said, could “mean the difference between stability and eviction, between groceries and prescriptions.”

As far as public infrastructure, Richards called for 1% of the City’s budget to go to parks funding, and vowed to spend $17 million to rebuild the Playground for All Children in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Both Richards and Bowles agreed that the park in general could use some work. On rainy days like Thursday, Flushing Meadows gets muddy and flooded, with areas remaining unusable for days after, Bowles noted, which is indicative of broader parks disinvestment.

Much of Thursday’s discussion revolved around Queens’ nascent tech industry, with several  speakers brainstorming ideas on how to both cultivate a local hi-tech job market through investments in education, and attract tech investment from elsewhere to Queens.

CUNY’s Queens College Campus, as Grech pointed out, graduates more computer science majors than any other school  in the CUNY system.

City councilmember Julie Won — who once worked for IBM — highlighted the need to embrace the AI boom without losing jobs to automation, something she argued could be done by “upscaling,” or training employees in every industry for the kinds of higher level positions that cannot be automated.

“We cannot allow this narrative of the world telling us, every single one of us is going to become obsolete, that the AI, the robots are going to take over, and we’re all going to be sitting here wondering to ourselves, where did we go wrong?” Won said.

Grech, meanwhile, proposed utilizing partnerships between private capital and public investment to invest in local tech startups. Queens is churning plenty of young tech talent, Grech, argued. Now, it’s  up to government and business leaders to invest in them.

“The rest of the world ain’t waiting for New York to figure out our stuff,” Grech said. “The rest of the world is plunging ahead.”

When Medicine Advances and Law Does Not, Families Pay the Price

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

New York Must Codify What Science Already Knows About ARFID
By Connie Altamirano
When medicine advances and law does not, families suffer in the gap.
In 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) formally recognized Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) as a distinct and diagnosable eating disorder. More than a decade later, families across New York State continue to confront a troubling reality: ARFID is clinically recognized, medically billable, and scientifically validated yet it remains inconsistently protected, misunderstood, and structurally under-supported within state statute.
New York Senate Bill S9063, sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo, and its Assembly companion A9600, sponsored by Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, address that gap directly. These bills do not create a new diagnosis. They correct a statutory omission. By amending the Mental Hygiene Law and the Public Health Law, this legislation formally codifies ARFID alongside anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder aligning New York law with established psychiatric science.
This alignment is not symbolic. It is operational.
When state statute fails to explicitly reflect modern diagnostic standards, families face insurance denials, delayed authorizations, limited provider networks, and inappropriate treatment pathways. Codification removes ambiguity. Ambiguity is where access collapses.
ARFID is fundamentally different from the eating disorders most familiar to the public. It is not driven by body image disturbance or fear of weight gain. Instead, it is often associated with severe anxiety, sensory processing differences, traumatic feeding experiences, gastrointestinal distress, or neurodevelopmental conditions including autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. A child may gag at certain textures. An adolescent may restrict intake due to an overwhelming fear of choking or vomiting. An adult may survive on an extremely narrow set of “safe foods,” leading to profound nutritional deficiencies while appearing at a normal or even elevated weight.
Weight is not the diagnostic determinant. Functional impairment and nutritional compromise are.
Because ARFID does not conform to outdated stereotypes, it is frequently dismissed as “picky eating.” That dismissal carries consequences. Children are shamed. Parents are blamed. Treatment is delayed. In some cases, ineffective and psychologically harmful interventions including coercive feeding practices are attempted instead of evidence-based care.
For many years, I have advocated for children with special needs across New York State. In that work, a troubling pattern became impossible to ignore.
Children were repeatedly labeled “selective” or “difficult.” Yet these were children surviving on fewer than ten foods. Nutritional supplements such as Pediasure and Ensure became medical lifelines. Some, in certain cases, experienced gagging or vomiting when exposed to specific triggering foods. Exposure alone could trigger physiological panic. This was not defiance. It was not indulgence. It was not poor parenting.
It was ARFID.
The recognition did not emerge from theory alone. It surfaced through direct advocacy through conversations with families carrying binders of feeding logs, growth charts, and insurance denial letters. Through repeated accounts of children returning home from school with untouched lunches. Through parents being told, year after year, that their child would “grow out of it,” even as nutritional compromise deepened.
When I began speaking publicly about ARFID, the response was immediate and statewide. Parents of newly diagnosed children reached out, alongside families whose children remained undiagnosed despite clear clinical indicators. Adults who had lived decades without a name for their condition contacted me. Families still being dismissed sought guidance. The pattern was undeniable: ARFID is not rare. It is under-recognized.
Today, I facilitate a statewide ARFID support network, including a WhatsApp group connecting parents and adults navigating diagnosis, treatment access, and insurance barriers. The stories shared are not abstract policy discussions. They include children who, in some cases, experience gagging or vomiting when exposed to triggering foods; adolescents who avoid social settings because food-related anxiety overwhelms them; and adults who were shamed rather than diagnosed.
This is precisely why S9063 and A9600 matter. Public health statutes exist to safeguard vulnerable populations, and individuals living with ARFID deserve full statutory protection. We cannot continue to permit legislative gaps to disproportionately burden those most in need of protection.
The legislation provides explicit legal recognition of ARFID within New York’s statutory framework. It reinforces treatment access and parity protections. It modernizes outdated diagnostic references, removing reliance on ICD-9-CM codes that no longer reflect contemporary psychiatric standards. And it strengthens public health awareness at a time when clinician education and insurance clarity remain uneven.
In addition to Senator Addabbo and Assemblymember Rajkumar’s sponsorship, the legislation has drawn support from experienced lawmakers committed to mental health and public health equity. Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi serve as co-sponsors of A9600. In the Senate, co-sponsors include Senator Jessica Ramos, Senator Monica R. Martinez, Senator Kevin Parker, and Senator Luis R. Sepúlveda. Their collective support signals recognition that statutory precision is essential for meaningful access to care.
ARFID is already recognized within the DSM-5. Major medical institutions across New York diagnose and treat it. The issue is not whether ARFID exists. The issue is whether our laws fully reflect and protect what medical science already affirms.
ARFID can result in severe malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, growth disruption, reliance on nutritional supplementation, social isolation, academic impairment, and significant psychiatric distress. It affects children, adolescents, and adults. It does not discriminate by weight. It does not resolve itself through willpower.
Recognition under law is not rhetorical validation. It is structural protection.
During this legislative session, I will return to Albany to continue advancing this legislation through direct and sustained engagement with lawmakers and legislative leadership. When statutory language lags behind established medical science, families are left navigating preventable barriers. That gap must close. I intend to remain actively involved in this effort until New York law fully reflects what medicine has already confirmed.
New York must codify what science already knows.

Architect Of Culture At JFK’s Busiest Terminal Marks Nine Years

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

Nine Years Shaping Culture At JFK T4

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

At the center of the constant motion inside John F. Kennedy International Airport, where rolling suitcases hum across polished floors and departure boards flicker through time zones, Vernon M. Taylor has spent nearly a decade focused on something less visible but just as critical: people.

Taylor, director of People Operations for JFKIAT, the company that operates Terminal 4, is marking his ninth year helping shape the workforce strategy behind one of the airport’s busiest hubs. “I was always told that working in the airport, one year in airports is like two years in real life,” he said with a laugh. “I really feel that way after nine years.”

Terminal 4 is in the midst of a sweeping $1.5 billion transformation designed to prepare for the future of air travel. As cranes rise and gates expand, Taylor has been working behind the scenes to build the infrastructure that cannot be seen in blueprints: succession plans, diversity metrics, compensation structures and career pipelines that stretch from middle school classrooms to executive offices.

When he arrived in 2017, he said, the company was at a crossroads. “When I first started at the company, back in 2017 there was no HR department. There was actually ran by legal,” he said. “Let’s just start with HR, so we could go ahead and teach the people what HR is.”

What began as a foundational effort to establish policies and procedures evolved into a broader reimagining of how people operations could drive growth. Taylor standardized job descriptions and compensation benchmarks, implemented succession planning for critical roles and introduced workforce diversity analytics to improve accountability. He also helped boost participation in the company’s employee engagement survey to roughly 90 percent, giving leadership clearer insight into workforce priorities.

The results have drawn recognition. JFKIAT has been named a Best Place to Work by Crain’s New York Business for six consecutive years, the only aviation company to earn that distinction during that period. It has also been recognized as a Best Place to Work in Aviation for two straight years.

Taylor sees those accolades as validation of a philosophy he repeats often: “I’m really big on aligning the people strategy with the long-term growth of the company.”

A Brooklyn resident who grew up immersed in city life, Taylor describes New York as “a tale of two cities,” shaped by both opportunity and inequity. Raised primarily by his grandparents, he learned early that discipline and purpose go hand in hand. “One of the things that they taught me is that if you’re always busy, you have no time to get in trouble,” he said. By his late teens, he was juggling school during the day and work at night, a pattern he continued through college and graduate school.

Before joining JFKIAT, Taylor held HR leadership roles in the transportation sector, including at subsidiaries of one of the world’s largest transit operators. “I really went from cars to buses to planes,” he said. “I’m really good at the transportation industry. I really get it. I think you really find some good salt of the earth people in transportation.”

That affinity for the industry shapes his approach at Terminal 4, where he also chairs the company’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging committee and leads 4GOOD, its philanthropic arm. Since 2022, the program has directed hundreds of thousands of dollars to local nonprofits and educational institutions across Queens.

“My family, on my dad’s side, is from Queens,” Taylor said. “I’m really passionate about giving back to the borough and about bridging the gap regarding job opportunities. I think there’s so many jobs at that airport that people in the community can really benefit from.”

That belief has translated into action. Under Taylor’s leadership, JFKIAT has expanded aviation-based internships and partnerships with institutions including Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology and Farmingdale State College. The company also partners with local middle and high schools to introduce students to aviation careers early, creating what Taylor calls a pipeline that “doesn’t start at college. It starts around eighth grade.”

The company’s annual Juneteenth celebration and job fair, held in partnership with the Council for Airport Opportunity and business partners across the terminal, has connected more than 800 job seekers each year to employment pathways within the broader JFK ecosystem.

The hardest chapter of his tenure came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the bustling terminal fell silent. “You can walk in the terminal and hear a pin drop,” he said, likening the scene to a frozen kingdom from fantasy television. “For a lot of HR people, I think covid was probably the most challenging time in your career.”

Taylor and his team focused on both physical and mental health, navigating shifting public health mandates while striving to retain staff. “It also taught me how resilient we can truly be as a people,” he said. “I think we really became more tight knit after covid.”

Now, as passenger volumes climb and additional terminals come online, Taylor is preparing for what he calls a coming “war on talent.” His response includes a renewed emphasis on career development, mentorship and a unifying customer service culture branded internally as the “T4 State of Mind,” designed to ensure that passengers experience one seamless terminal rather than a patchwork of separate companies.

He is also steering the organization into new territory with artificial intelligence. “I know some people are scared of it, but I think AI is here to go ahead and augment your job, not to take your job,” he said. The company is developing policies, governance standards and training to guide responsible use.

As Black History Month draws to a close, Taylor reflected on his role as one of the few Black executives within the JFK terminal system. “It’s great to actually be a young, Black executive and see that everyone here is diverse,” he said. “Queens is the melting pot of New York City.”

For Taylor, the transformation of Terminal 4 is about more than steel and glass. It is about creating a workplace that mirrors the borough it serves and opens doors to careers that might otherwise seem out of reach.

“I’m really looking forward to another long run and tenure, just really giving back not only to JFK Airport, but the people of Queens as a whole,” he said.

Queens Runner Takes on Half Marathon While Fasting

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

Running through Ramadan, a Marathon of Faith

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

Before dawn during the holy month of Ramadan, Safiatu Diagana fills a large bottle with electrolytes and water, sipping steadily in the quiet hours before sunrise. The hydration has to last all day. By daylight, the Queens native is fasting. But she is also preparing to run 13.1 miles through New York City.

Later this week, Diagana will join thousands of runners at the starting line of the United Airlines NYC Half on March 15. The United Airlines NYC Half Marathon is produced by New York Road Runners. For the recent New York University graduate and postpartum nurse, the race marks her first half marathon. It also arrives in the middle of Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset.

For Diagana, the challenge is less about speed and more about showing up.

“I’m not trying to hit a PR or do this crazy marathon thing,” she said. “I just want to show up for myself and see what I’m capable of.”

Diagana grew up in Richmond Hill in Queens, the daughter of a low-income immigrant family. Sports were never central to her childhood. Aside from two years of high school volleyball, most physical activity came from simple routines encouraged by her parents, like walking in the park.

Running entered her life unexpectedly in 2018 through Run for the Future, a youth program aimed at bringing young women into the sport. At the time, Diagana was focused on academics and had never imagined herself as a runner.

“Running has just been something that I never saw myself honestly partaking in,” she said. “But learning more about my health and learning more through nursing school, it was a journey that I wanted to take.”

That journey has steadily grown from casual runs to organized races. Still, she remembers the moment the possibility first crossed her mind: watching runners glide through an unusually empty Times Square during the half marathon years ago.

Screenshot

“I saw people running in Times Square, and I’ve never seen Times Square that empty before,” she said. “I was like, how is this even happening?”

At the time, she could not picture herself among them. But months ago she signed up for the race, eager to test herself. Only later did she realize the date would fall during Ramadan.

Instead of backing out, she leaned into the challenge.

“You know what, I can put myself to the challenge,” she recalled thinking. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I just wanted to push myself.”

Training has looked different since the start of the fast. Before Ramadan, Diagana followed structured workouts through a running app designed for beginners preparing for a half marathon. Recently, though, she has slowed down, trading long runs for walks, stretching and careful hydration during the limited hours when she can drink.

“A key thing of fasting is not drinking water,” she said. “So during suhoor and after iftar, I have a 60-ounce water bottle with electrolytes, and I’m just sipping that the entire time. At the end of the day, I just want to be hydrated.”

She is also adjusting her expectations. Completing the race, even at a slower pace, will be enough.

“If it means doing a walk-run, if it means walking the entire time, that’s totally fine,” she said. “As long as I’m willing to complete it.”

The discipline required for distance running, she said, has mirrored the spiritual discipline of Ramadan itself. Nights spent standing through extended prayers have reinforced the same mindset she uses during long runs.

“If I can run for an hour or an hour and a half, I can definitely stay for 20 prayers,” she said with a laugh.

The connection between physical endurance and spiritual commitment has changed how she views both.

“If I put my mind to it, I can definitely get it done,” she said. “It’s just how bad do I want it.”

By day, Diagana works as a postpartum nurse in Manhattan, caring for new mothers and newborns. The job, she said, constantly reminds her how remarkable and fragile the human body can be.

“It’s so crazy how our bodies move and change,” she said. “Seeing a new baby every day, it just makes you grateful for your health.”

The work has also reinforced the value of perseverance, something she carries into her running.

“I feel like being in the healthcare world, you really start to see you have to be grateful for a lot of things that you take for granted,” she said.

For Diagana, crossing the finish line will mean more than finishing a race. Growing up, she rarely saw women who looked like her in endurance sports.

Now, she hopes someone else might.

“Sometimes you want to see representation,” she said. “But sometimes you have to be that representation.”

Among the tens of thousands of runners expected at the NYC Half, she knows she will be only one person in the crowd. But even one runner, she said, can make a difference.

“There’s going to be one person who sees a hijabi at the race and thinks, ‘She was able to run it. I can also do it,’” she said.

When Diagana finally reaches the finish line, her thoughts will turn to family and faith.

“The first thoughts are my family,” she said. “Even if they don’t understand why I’m waking up early to go run in Central Park, I’m doing it for them.”

And perhaps for someone else watching from the sidelines, seeing themselves in a runner for the first time.

Screenshot

Jazz Masters To Honor Miles Davis At Flushing Town Hall

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

Flushing Town Hall To Host Miles Davis Centennial Tribute

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

The legacy of Miles Davis will take center stage in Queens this month as some of the nation’s most celebrated jazz musicians gather for a special tribute marking what would have been the iconic bandleader’s 100th birthday.

On March 20, Flushing Town Hall will host NEA Jazz Masters: A Tribute to Miles Davis at 100, a concert led by trumpet virtuoso Jimmy Owens, who famously played alongside Davis when he was just 15 years old. The performance will bring together four recipients of the nation’s highest honor in jazz, awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, for an evening celebrating Davis’ enduring influence on the genre.

Owens will be joined by fellow NEA Jazz Masters Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, Kenny Barron on piano and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, along with rising talents Michael Howell on guitar and Kenny Davis on bass. Together, the ensemble will revisit landmark works from Davis’ expansive catalog, which reshaped modern jazz and influenced generations of musicians worldwide.

“The concert tribute to Miles Davis is going to look at his early life and compositions, and compositions from his later performing life,” says NEA Jazz Master and concert leader Jimmy Owens. “Miles Davis set a pattern of creativity that affected all musicians. Many of the musicians who performed with him became established leaders in their own right after they left Miles Davis’ band.”

The concert continues a long-running tradition at Flushing Town Hall, which first launched its NEA Jazz Masters series in 2006 with performances by jazz legends including Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry and Billy Taylor. Over the years, the venue has welcomed an array of prominent artists whose work helped define the sound of jazz both in New York City and beyond.

“This is the centennial of Miles Davis’s birthday,” said Clyde Bullard, Flushing Town Hall’s jazz producer. “Miles Davis left many milestones that will forever be in the annals of music history.”

Bullard noted that Davis’ influence stretches across decades of music, from the landmark 1959 album Kind of Blue to his collaborations with arranger Gil Evans on projects such as Sketches of Spain.

“There’s so much music to cover because he gave that much volume to jazz history and music in general,” Bullard said. “The music that he created has become like a template for a lot of jazz ensembles.”

For Owens, the concert carries a personal resonance. As a teenager, he had the rare chance to perform with Davis at Harlem’s famed Smalls Paradise, an experience that shaped his musical path. Revisiting Davis’ work decades later, Bullard said, makes the tribute especially meaningful for the veteran trumpeter.

“For Jimmy Owens, this is like heaven to be able to recreate the music of one of his greatest influences,” Bullard said.

Bullard added that bringing together legendary Jazz Masters with younger musicians reflects the broader mission of the series.

“We’re continuing a legacy,” he said. “We set a standard that whatever show we do is of world-class quality, and this show will be exactly that.”

The concert begins at 8 p.m. at Flushing Town Hall, with tickets available in advance through the venue’s website. Organizers say audiences can expect a dynamic live interpretation of Davis’ music, honoring a figure widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in jazz history. For more information and to purchase tickets for the 8 PM performance, visit www.flushingtownhall.org.

“We are thrilled to welcome the NEA Jazz Masters concert back to Flushing Town Hall and to Queens, where jazz has such a deep and meaningful history,” says Ellen Kodadek, Executive and Artistic Director of Flushing Town Hall. “This concert is always a highlight of our season, and we are deeply grateful to Jimmy Owens for our longtime partnership and for bringing so much musical talent together on our stage. It is an honor to present these outstanding artists and to share this special evening with our community.”

The City Council vs. the First Amendment

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

ROBERT HORNAK

FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE QUEENS REPUBLICAN PARTY

RAHORNAK@GMAIL.COM

Robert Hornak is a veteran political consultant who previously served as deputy director of the Republican assembly leader’s NYC office and as executive director of the Queens Republican Party. He can be reached at rahornak@gmail.com and @roberthornak on X.

There is one basic belief that has been axiomatic in American politics, best expressed in the statement, “I may not believe in what you have to say, but I will fight to the death to protect your right to say it.” Until now.

This simple concept has united people from across the political spectrum who share a love for America, its constitutional principles, and the foundation upon which our society has been built.

But that most basic constitutional principle has been under attack in recent years by a leftwing movement that has picked a line to draw on what they call hate speech. And, it just so happens that line falls around the groups that make up their main interest groups.

This was illustrated perfectly when, early after Vickie Paladino was elected to the City Council (full disclosure I was her 2021 campaign manager), she had her first collision with the City Council’s speech police. In a number of social media posts she objected to what was be- ing called “Drag Queen Story Hour” where local drag queens were being brought into settings with young children to perform their show while also reading books to the children.

Paladino called this out as not being appropriate for children, calling it a form of grooming. For this transgression, she was sanctioned by being kicked off the Council’s Committee on Mental health. A scathing punishment, no doubt.

Well, to paraphrase Ronald Reagan, there she goes again. Now Paladino has posted on her social media – her personal social media – about a percieved conflict between Islamic fundamentalists and Western Judeo- Christian culture. That line that democrats drew is now completely encircling the Muslim community, and any mention of Muslim extremism is labeled as Islamophobic.

In fact, it’s gotten so crazy that now any discussion about the actual growing incidents of hate crimes that target NYC’s Jewish residents is preceded by warnings and instruction about Islamophobia.

Paladino’s posts were referred to the Council Ethics Committee for action. A report was issued, charging her with “disorderly conduct” and citing a number of Paladino’s – again personal – social media posts. These included a post on Dec 14, 2025, in response to a post on the recent massacre of Jews at Bondi Beach, where Paladino said we need to take the threat of global jihad seriously and need to consider a process to denaturalize and deport Muslims before we have another 9/11.

And on Feb 17, 2026 “Affiliation with a terrorist group sure seems like a prerequisite for employment with Zohran’s administration” in response to a post pointing out that Mayor Mamdani’s “new Chief Immigration Officer, Faiza Ali, previously worked for Muslim Brotherhood- linked CAIR” and asked, “Are all of Zohran Mamdani’s appointees connected to terrorist organizations?”

The Council is demanding a response from Paladino, while it prepares to decide how to sanction her. That include anything from sanction, to removal of her remaining committee assignments, a fine, and potentially expulsion from the Council.

Paladino’s response – a lawsuit warning the Council not to sanction her for availing herself of her first amendment right to comment on po- litical issues in the public square.

Of course, the Council is trying to call this as a case of discrimination or harassment in the workplace. They know they are on this ground and this is protected political speech, but some in the Council are demanding action against Paladino for daring to give voice to what some of her constituents believe.

But this was not said “in the workplace” and does not single out any individual nor does it make any threat of violence. And this assumes that Paladino, is an employee of the Council rather than an elected official accountable to the people who elected her and who she serves in her district.

This is a attempt to silence speech that the majority in the Council doesn’t like. It makes them uncomfortable to have these ideas discussed openly, but as every American who cherishes our most fundamental freedoms that make America the country it is, the answer to speech you don’t like is always more free speech.

Queens Leaders Honored at Dance Entropy Emerald Gala

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

Dance Entropy celebrated two decades of nurturing dance in Queens during its Emerald Gala on March 5, honoring three community leaders whose work has helped strengthen arts, civic life and neighborhood engagement across the borough.

Held to mark the 20th anniversary of Green Space, the Long Island City studio founded by Dance Entropy, the gala brought together artists, supporters and community members for an evening of live music, dance performances, food and a paddle raise supporting the organization’s performance, education and outreach programs.

The event recognized Julie Won, Dirk McCall de Palomá and Roslyn Nieves for their contributions to the Queens community.

Won, who represents District 26 covering Long Island City, Sunnyside, Astoria and Woodside, was honored for her advocacy on behalf of diverse neighborhoods in western Queens. She immigrated to New York City with her family at age eight and became the first woman and immigrant elected to represent the district. Since taking office, she has focused on issues of equity, affordability and community sustainability.

McCall de Palomá, executive director of the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District, was recognized for a career spanning more than three decades in government, nonprofit leadership and political activism. His work has included leadership roles at Gay Men’s Health Crisis and the Bronx Community Pride Center, as well as long-standing involvement with the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City.

Nieves, a television host, producer and director, was honored for her extensive media work spotlighting community stories throughout Queens. After two decades with the NYPD, she transitioned into media and community development at Queens Public Television, producing hundreds of hyperlocal programs covering nonprofits, civic events and cultural celebrations.

Localizing History

BQE Admin on March 11, 2026

Queens teens wants to bring their Asian American heritage into the K-12 curriculum with the Localized History Project. 

BY SIDDARTHA HARMALKAR

When Guinevere recalls walking along Liberty Avenue with her grandfather, she smells roasted spices and hears bhajans playing.

”It was really beautiful because I felt all the life and culture there,” she said.

Although family memories like Guinevere’s are common throughout South Ozone Park, which hosts one of the largest Indo-Caribbean communities in the world, South Asian and Indo-Caribbean public school students usually don’t see their experiences represented in history classes.

As a youth researcher for the Localized History Project (LHP), Guinevere hopes to change that by showing educators how students like her can play a more active role in their classrooms. Last Tuesday, she presented takeaways from her research along with three other LHP researchers at a professional development event for NYC public school educators.

“I learned a lot about what it means to be Indo-Trinidadian and the journey and history behind it,” said Guinevere, who is a junior at Brooklyn Technical High School.

Founded and directed by former high school history teacher Shreya Sunderram, the Localized History Project is housed at the Asian American/Asian Research Institute at CUNY and aims to integrate local stories of Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian New Yorkers into public K-12 classrooms. Sunderram founded the project after her experience as a teacher led her to recognize the importance of spaces for Asian American history and culture, particularly after seeing the rise of violence against Asian American elders during the pandemic.

“Young people are deeply capable, extremely interesting, super curious drivers of change,” Sunderram said.

Their website, https://localizedhistoryproject.org/, features interactive exhibits from students across the city.

Students with the Localized History Project present at Brooklyn Technical High School. Photo via Shreya Sunderram.

For Guinevere, the project has deepened her relationship with her grandparents, she said. She now loves to ask her grandfather about his life experiences, and it brings her joy to see how much he loves to share.  She’s also become more aware of the power of music and oral histories, which history textbooks often overlook.

“I just want people to understand how important music is,” said Guinevere, explaining that music holds memory. She fondly remembers playing Bollywood music for her mom and seeing her immediately recognize the artists, even without understanding the words.

At the training session, students explained how they dove into the complexities of resistance and joy that shaped the migration of their families and the fabric of their neighborhoods – from Filipino nurses’ activism in Woodside to South Asian domestic worker struggles in Jackson Heights.

Clarissa, a senior at Brooklyn Technical High School, is LHP’s youth co-director. “To come from a borough where there’s such a prominent presence of Asian American strength and resilience and joy is a really guiding foundation,” said Clarissa, who grew up in Jackson Heights and Sunnyside.

“I think the history classroom is not just a space to memorize years in which things happened,” she said, adding that her research gave her confidence in the idea that her identities and lineages are worth being written and spoken about. “The point is to have an education that challenges the way you see the world, makes you think about the structures you navigate, and really instills in you this hope and desire to become a change maker,” Clarissa said.

The project goes beyond studying the past, said Ana Serna, Assistant Director of Community Organizing at LHP. “Several of our youth describe the Localized History Project as their political home insofar as they’re able to root themselves in histories of solidarity and shared struggle,” she said.

Serna, who grew up in Long Island, was a labor organizer and a community archivist in Woodside.

She now leverages her experience to connect LHP’s youth researchers with local researchers and organizers, such as Filipino nurses in Woodside who took part in the recent nurses strike.

Last June, the New York City Council’s Educational Equity Action Plan funded LHP to create the first NYC Council-funded Asian American studies program for K-12 public schools.

So far, through their funding, the Localized History Project has been able to reach 130 educators, 88 schools, and 39 council districts, said Sunderram. They hope to have 50 exhibits documenting localized NYC Asian American history by June 2026.

Alex Ho, who teaches Asian American History and Chinese Culture and History at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, said that attending the student-led professional development workshop was transformative.

“When you’re an educator, you feel like you’re responsible for a few stages of learning and it’s not easy to let go of the right and wrong kind of rote memorization,” he said. “It’s really powerful to see good exploratory learning.”

The researchers’ focus on the nuances of gender, labor, and migration from the perspective of their own family histories were particularly significant, said Ho. “It’s a great model for educators.”

Fill the Form for Events, Advertisement or Business Listing