Subscribe
Documented Original
West African hair braiding salons in Harlem were a one-stop shop for advice between hair braiders and clients before the pandemic hit. But like many businesses throughout New York City that closed, the hair braiding profession, which is largely staffed by West African women, has found it difficult to recover even though workers have been allowed to return to work. Mariam, from Gambia, had been braiding hair full-time in Harlem for 23 years until Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered the closure of personal care salons last March. She then got a job in maintenance with the New York City Housing Authority, where she realized she had far more benefits and stability than when she braided hair.
Immigrant Labor in New York Under the Pandemic
documentedny.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from documentedny.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
New Jersey Activists Demand Change After 15,000 Immigrants Deported in 5 Years
documentedny.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from documentedny.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
David Handschuh/Chalkbeat
State officials approved changes Monday meant to ease the backlog of special education-related complaints in New York City.
The Board of Regents-authorized changes more than a year in the making will widen the pool of so-called impartial hearing officers, who oversee these cases. Additionally, hearings will now be permitted indefinitely to happen over video-conference.
But advocates and state officials alike say more must be done to resolve the thousands of complaints city families have filed because they believe their children are not receiving the right special education services. When cases are delayed, children may go without the right class placement, school environment, or therapeutic services. Some families file complaints because they say that their children’s needs can only be met in a private school setting, and they want the city to cover the tuition.