Envisioning Alternatives to Policing

Envisioning Alternatives to Policing title treatment, Ashley Southall head shot

The anti-racist mobilizations of 2020 have put increased focus and pressure on the role of policing in cities across America, including New York. This series of conversations will connect current calls for defunding police to alternative initiatives New Yorkers have undertaken to foster safety in their families, communities, and public spaces.

Supporters

Activist New York and its associated programs are made possible by The Puffin Foundation, Ltd. 

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Workshops on the Civil Rights Movement in NYC for Educators, Students, and Families

Photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Benjamin Spock and Monsignor Rice of Pittsburgh at the Solidarity Day Parade in New York City on April 15, 1967.
Benedict J. Fernandez. [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Benjamin Spock and Monsignor Rice.] April 15, 1967. Museum of the City of New York. 99.150.9

As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2021, join the Museum of the City of New York for FREE Virtual Workshops for  Educators, Students in grades 4–12, and  Families.  

Questions? Email schoolprograms@mcny.org 

Supporters

Education programs in conjunction with Activist New York are made possible by The Puffin Foundation, Ltd.  

Professional Learning programs are made possible in part by …a chance… fund, inc. 

The Frederick A.O. Schwarz Education Center is endowed by grants from The Thompson Family Foundation Fund, the F.A.O. Schwarz Family Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Endowment, and other generous donors. 

For more information about the Frederick A.O. Schwarz Education Center, and additional funder credits, please click here. 

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Explore the Exhibition

White text on a black background reads "New York Responds The First Six Months"

New York Responds: The First Six Months includes photographs, artworks, audio, video, and artifacts documenting New Yorkers’ response to the crisis of COVID-19 and their uprising against structural racism. It covers the events of March 1 to September 1, 2020, and it is the digital companion to the physical exhibition that opened at the Museum of the City of New York on December 18, 2020.  

Learn more and explore the content of the exhibition in the thematic sections below.  

Two windows in an brick building that are filled with stacks of toilet paper rolls.

The COVID City

The cityscape in New York was dramatically transformed by the pandemic.
A woman places a mask with a name written on it on a fence covered in other blue face masks with names.

Facing the Virus

In a climate akin to wartime, New Yorkers came together—often virtually—to remember, to mourn, and to heal.
A person on a stretcher is being wheeled into an ambulance assisted by three medical workers. A fourth person stands nearby.

Healthcare Crisis

As NYC faced down the virus, healthcare workers met the challenge with determination and a spirit of innovation.
Pan used to cheer for essential workers at 7 p.m

Clapping

Clapping and banging pots at 7 p.m. became a way to thank essential workers for their service and sacrifices.
Masks Drying Over My Kitchen Sink

Masks

Wearing a mask became an opportunity for personal expression – whether in the form of levity or as a message of protest.
A man sits on a bed shirtless, facing his window with an AC unit installed.

Isolation

For the first time in the city’s modern history, isolation became a constant for millions of gregarious New Yorkers.
An older couple with their masks hanging on one ear talk to an older woman through a window.

Coping

Keeping healthy, connecting with loved ones, and avoiding boredom became tools for sanity amidst the tragedy.
Graduation ceremony at St. Charles School in Staten Island

The New Normal

Empty streets and playgrounds, the wailing of ambulances, a life lived at a distance: COVID ushered in a “new normal.”
A man with a mop cleans the floor of a subway car in front of a subway door.

Getting Around

One of the greatest challenges during the lockdown was how to keep New Yorkers moving safely.
Avant Garden preparing free meals for frontline workers.

Restaurants

For the New York restaurant industry, which operates on thin margins, COVID-19 was catastrophic.
A man holding a water bottle in one hand addresses a crowd of people with bags and masks standing in front of a wooden fence.

Mutual Aid

As the pandemic spiraled across the five boroughs, New Yorkers launched initiatives to help their neighbors.
Protesters on bikes gather at Washington Square Park

The Protest City

The city's streets, parks, bridges, and edifices became scenes of protest, passion, and sometimes confrontation.
Marchers at the Million People March, Brooklyn NYC on June 19, 2020

Uprising

Thousands of New Yorkers captured images of the mass Black-led uprisings against police violence and systemic racism.
a crowd of marchers wearing masks and holding signs. One reads "I'm not afraid of COVID—I'm afraid of cops."

Policing

Witnesses captured images of clashes between protestors and police, as well as acts of solidarity.
A black and white photograph of a sign on a fence that reads "COVID PANDEMIC No work....No Income...No Insurance...#PassNYHealth #CancelRent"

The Politics of COVID

Like the anti-racist uprisings, the COVID pandemic exposed and amplified existing social and economic inequality.
Supporters of a Black Lives Matter march on the occasion of Breonna Taylor's birthday

Working Together for BLM

During the pandemic, activists used varied means to push for a future in which Black lives would truly matter.
Portrait of George Floyd

Art as Response

Art was a potent tool for political expression and communication in a moment of social reckoning for our city, nation, and world.
Plywood artwork created during the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice uprisings in 2020. Colin Kaepernick is in the foreground, on bended knee, with the American flag waving behind him.

Street Art

NY Responds looks at how street art took on a special urgency during the events of 2020.
A man and woman, each holding a young child, stand smiling next to each other in front of a blossoming tree and brick building.

Voices

Listen to the voices of New Yorkers as they speak about these critical six months and how their communities responded.

Supporters

New York Responds is made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Additional support provided by M&T Bank and the Honorable Diana Ayala - New York City Council District 8.

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Our Fair City: Building a More Equitable New York

View of New York City overlooking train platform
Photo by Mark Hallum courtesy of Bronx Times Reporter/Schneps Media.

The past eight months have provided astonishing lessons in urban transformation. We’ve come to appreciate how fragile even a great city is and how sturdy it can be. When the virus swept through, New Yorkers beat it back, turning one of the most dangerous spots in the nation into one of the safest—temporarily, at least.

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Voting Rights Programs for Students and Educators

Banner image with portraits of Sarah J.S. Tompkins Garnet and Mabel Lee, and image of Harriot Stanton Blatch and Rose Schneiderman

As we approach Election Day 2020, join the Museum of the City of New York for the following FREE Workshops for Educators and Adults and Students in grades 2–5 and 6–12. These virtual events will explore the women’s suffrage movement in NYC, the fight for full suffrage led by women of color, and the ongoing movement to expand voting rights today.  

Full credits for the image above from left to right: Sarah J.S. Tompkins Garnet, c. 1860, Courtesy of the Photographs and Print Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the New York Public Library / Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations; Mabel Lee, 1915, Courtesy of the Barnard Archives and Special Collections; Harriot Stanton Blatch and Rose Schneiderman, 1915, Courtesy of the Rose Schneiderman Collection, Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Archives, New York University.

Education programs in conjunction with Beyond Suffrage: A Century of New York Women in Politics are made possible by The Puffin Foundation Ltd. 

Professional Learning programs are made possible in part by …a chance… fund, inc.

The Frederick A.O. Schwarz Education Center is endowed by grants from The Thompson Family Foundation Fund, the F.A.O. Schwarz Family Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Endowment, and other generous donors.

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Virtual Student Workshops

Three elementary students gathered around a tablet screen in the museum, learning digitally
Students learning digitally in the Museum’s Future City Lab
In this virtual workshop, students will hear from multidisciplinary artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya and examine the resiliency of New York's Asian American and Pacific Islander community and their solidarity across past and present activist movements through the stories of Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X.

Questions? Email schoolprograms@mcny.org 

Workshop Sessions

Supporters

The Frederick A.O. Schwarz Education Center is endowed by grants from The Thompson Family Foundation Fund, the F.A.O. Schwarz Family Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Endowment, and other generous donors.  

For more information about the Frederick A.O. Schwarz Education Center, and additional funder credits, please click here.  

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Past Event: Another City: New Meanings in New York's Public Spaces

Protesters walking over the Brooklyn Bridge
Copyright © 2020 Mark Clennon Creative, LLC. All rights reserved.

Socially distanced lines. Masked protests in the streets. Parking-space dining. These are some of the striking scenes that have emerged in 2020, indelibly impacting the landscape of New York, and creating "Another City."

Save when you purchase tickets to the entire series! If you are interested in purchasing tickets to the entire series after 10/14, please email programs@mcny.org.

Entire Series (four sessions):
$90 General Admission
$80 Seniors, Students, and Educators*
$70 Museum Members

Single Session:
$25 General Admission
$20 Museum Members

Recordings of each conversation will be sent following the events to registrants. 

*Please note that there is no Senior, Student, Educator price for single sessions.

Black and white photo of protestors walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
Event Wednesday, October 14, 7:00pm

Protest City

Consider how moments of protest and social unrest have remade New York City's public spaces—and how, in turn, public space has shaped the movements that have helped transform our world with architect Mabel Wilson, photographer Mark Clennon, and New Yorker writer Vinson Cunningham.
Empty street - Times Square
Event Wednesday, October 21, 7:00pm

Empty City

Writers Garnette Cadogan, Luc Sante, and Vinson Cunningham discuss the impression that emptiness has left on the city in the past, and consider representations of this moment and how they influence how we think about public space.
Photo of people eating outside at Miss Lily's Jerk Shack
Event Wednesday, October 28, 7:00pm

Everyday City

Consider 2020's transformation of everyday life from SoHo to 125th Street, Fifth Avenue to Fordham Road, to find out what our new street life might yield. With architect Susan Chin, critic Kate Wagner and New Yorker writer Vinson Cunningham.
A fountain with a statue holding the Puerto Rican flag
Event Wednesday, November 11, 7:00pm

Celebratory City

How do parades and public celebrations mark the "arrival" of previously marginal groups, while keeping open the possibility of more confrontational political action in the future? With photographer Ricky Flores, journalist Ginia Bellafante, and New Yorker writer Vinson Cunningham.

Partners

Special thanks to the AIA NY, Design Trust for Public Space, and The Municipal Art Society.

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Examining Equity in New York City

A visitor to the Museum of the City of New York's Activist New York exhibition examines artifacts about the history of social change in the city.
Filip Wolak, MCNY

Educator Workshop Series: Examining Equity in NYC

The Frederick A.O. Schwarz Center's Examining Equity in NYC series focuses on uncovering and honoring the historical roots of today’s movements for change. Join fellow educators to examine how New Yorkers have challenged inequality in our city and radically reimagined our social institutions, from schools and healthcare to housing and work. 

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