Newark, NJ - Dr. Willa Cofield describes Enfield, the North Carolina town where she was born and raised, as a close-knit community shaped by familial ties, shared cultural norms, a spirit of entrepreneurship, and the Black church as its anchor.

Public Square Amplified sat down with Cofield to learn more about how she fought for civil rights, and how present-day advocates can learn from her strategies and be inspired by her quiet ferocity.

Newark, NJ - Sunday marks the 197th anniversary of the first Black-owned and operated newspaper in the United States, the origin of today’s Black Press. That paper, The Freedom Journal, was published and distributed on March 16, 1827 from its offices in what is now the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City.

Newark, NJ - In the Part 2 conclusion of that interview, Zeni talks about the joys of filmmaking, her upcoming projects, the intersection of journalism and filmmaking, and what movies she enjoys watching as an up-and-comer in the industry.

Newark, NJ - Fatimah Zeni is a Syrian American filmmaker who recently released her first short feature, “Amal,” a character-driven drama centering on a father and daughter and the unique way in which they cope with incoming bombs in Aleppo, Syria.

Jersey City, NJ - Growing up as the children of immigrants, Jersey City teenagers Eza Iqbal and Arjun Krishnakumar had so much experience translating for their parents that they sometimes turned it into a game. At school, they watched classmates be pulled out of lessons for a single period of English-language instruction, thinking that couldn’t possibly be enough.

Tip of the Spear—Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt, by Dr. Orisanmi Burton, draws on direct interviews, archival research, and state sources associated with Attica and other prisons to deconstruct state repression tactics that form the foundation of the prison system. 

When trainee doctor Moumita Debnath’s half-naked, mutilated body was found last August at a medical college in Kolkata, shock reverberated across India. But the outrage didn’t stop there, with news of her death sparking protests in major cities across the globe and in the tristate area.

Maung’s Meanwhile in Jersey City mural stands around the corner from an elementary school. Its inscription reads: “This mural is not just Ms. Marvel. It is the representation and power that comes with her. It is for the kids of Jersey City to take up space both metaphorically in the media, but also physically on the walls of Jersey City.”

The 2024 U.S. election revealed historic and unresolved political fractures that betray the story of an America finally triumphant over deep misogyny, racism, and xenophobia. As the collective consciousness gives way to disillusionment and confusion, the decay of the collapsing U.S. empire eats away at its own ideals of democracy and self-identity.