FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 1, 2023
Contact: Sarah Pritchard, sarah@hesterstreet.org and Sara Schuenemann, sara@nextcity.org

Hester Street and Next City announce panel series focused on the future of cities

For 20 years, Hester Street (HST) has facilitated deeply democratic planning processes to advance racial and economic justice in neighborhoods across New York City and other places around the country, while Next City has been a consistent source of information and critical journalism centering marginalized voices while amplifying solutions to the problems that oppress people in cities. As the two organizations celebrate their 20th anniversaries, we’re partnering to produce a series of events throughout 2023 that will focus on building more just, equitable, and sustainable futures for our neighborhoods and cities.

The events co-presented by HST and Next City will provide multiple opportunities to reflect on key issues facing cities today and amplify the work being done in communities of color and low-income communities to design and lead solutions that advance equity and justice.

The series will kick off with a panel discussion on Tuesday, June 20 from 5:30-7:00 pm entitled Here to Stay: POC-led cultural groups in NYC’s creative economy. This first event will be held at the Clemente Center in NYC’s historic Lower East Side, and will feature a timely and interactive conversation with leaders from across NYC on the urgent need for increased support and visibility for arts and cultural organizations that are led by and serve communities of color in order to address the cultural equity gap that exists in cities across the country. Alongside our panelists, we will explore a collective call to action to support POC-led arts and cultural organizations, and the roles we all play to support the long-term stability of diverse cultural communities in NYC and beyond. The panel discussion will be available via a Next City podcast for those located outside of the NYC metro area.

Future events in the series will focus on the need for more comprehensive and equitable land use planning, community-based strategies to build environmental justice, and advancing racial equity in the fields of architecture, urban planning, and design. Stay tuned for more details on these events, as well as opportunities to join virtually via Next City’s webinar series.

As we look to the future of cities, HST and Next City remain committed to supporting and amplifying the work of leaders in communities that have been most directly impacted by systemic racism, environmental injustice, and historic disinvestment. We hope you will join us for this series of events to reflect, celebrate, and build momentum for the next 20 years of our work together.

Event listing for Here to Stay: POC-led cultural groups in NYC’s creative economy
What: Interactive panel conversation highlighting the vital importance of arts and cultural organizations that are led by and serve Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and all other People of Color
When: Tuesday, June 20, 5:30-7:00 pm
Where: The Clemente Center, 107 Suffolk Street, New York, NY
RSVP link

Hester Street is an urban planning, design and development nonprofit that works to ensure neighborhoods are shaped by the people who live in them. We offer planning, design and community development technical assistance to community-based organizations, government and other agencies. Our goal is equitable, sustainable and resilient neighborhoods and cities.

Next City produces journalism that centers marginalized voices while amplifying solutions to the problems that oppress people in cities. At a time when cities face rampant inequality and urgent challenges, Next City’s work as a nonprofit is critical: by spreading real stories and workable ideas from one city to the next, we connect people, places and solutions that move our society toward justice and equity.

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