Credit: Tanyer Bonner via Epicenter-NYC From helicopters to fireworks: NYC's noise pollution may be harming your healthOne night in Manhattan, New York, Tanya Bonner got a rude awakening due to the noise surrounding her Washington Heights apartment. It wasn't the first time. But she knew exactly where to go for some peace — a hotel in a more affluent neighborhood.
For Bonner and many other NYC residents who are Black and Brown and live in lower-income communities, noise pollution is severely affecting their health. Epicenter-NYC spoke with psychologist Arline Bronzaft, who has been studying how noise impacts public health for nearly fifty years, to better understand the correlation between noise pollution and its impact on our health. (Earlier in her career, Bronzaft’s landmark research demonstrated how noise pollution affects education.)“What happens when people get angry and annoyed? Their blood pressure goes up, pulse rate increases, there are physiological changes in their body,” she says. Epicenter-NYC also reveals that non-essential helicopters often fly over low-income communities in New York City, putting people in majority Black neighborhoods at risk for the noise (and air) pollution coming from helicopters.
Read more about how Bonner is advocating for more effective noise regulations in her community and more here →Plus: What is long COVID? (Epicenter-NYC)
‘Solitude is a bad partner for an immigrant:’ How migrants are coping with mental health challenges"Solitude is a bad partner for an immigrant, but it is the only partner that one has when someone migrates looking to prosper," says a construction worker from Corona, Queens, who recently spoke with Documented for a story about how immigrants cope with mental health challenges. This worker shared that they read books from their library to pass the time and "learn more about life." Other migrants Documented spoke with share their frustrations and mental fatigue concerning their current immigration status. One migrant, a 21-year-old LGBTQ person named Kender, revealed they have searched high and low for housing but have been unable to find a shelter that will offer them a bed. Hear more of these stories and share 📱 Documented's five mental coping strategies for immigrants with someone you know here →
SPONSORED CONTENT Be healthier this summer with your COVID-19 vaccineThe change of seasons brings with it many things: the opportunity for more gatherings, more time outdoors, and being more active. It's also a time for getting healthier, which includes being up to date on your vaccines. Getting a vaccine can protect you and those around you. COVID-19 vaccines have been in use for more than two years, are proven to be safe and effective, and have greatly helped to manage the virus and avoid hospitalizations.
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In an interview with Erin Donaghue for URL Media, Natalie Wilson, the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of the Black and Missing Foundation, points out the flaws in how mainstream media and law enforcement often handle cases of missing Black women and girls. Read more here →
Credit: Natalie Wilson via Black and Missing Foundation