Ariama Long

New York

Poet/Politics Reporter. #CUNY @NewmarkJSchool grad. @Report4America Corps Member @NYAmNews 21-22 @Poynter Koch Media Fellow from 20-21

Articles

Electeds and community leaders remember late Congressmember Charles B. Rangel

1 week ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

The revered former Congressmember Charles Bernard Rangel passed this Monday, May 26. Hordes of electeds and advocates are remembering his legacy as “The Lion of Lenox Avenue.” He was 94. A native Harlemite, Rangel had earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star in the U.S. Army. He went on to serve as a New York State Assemblymember from 1967 to 1971 and then in Congress from 1971 to 2017. He was also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).
Mayoral candidate AM Mamdani announces plan to create an Office of Deed Theft Prevention

1 week ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

Photo of Councilmember Chi Osse (far left), Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (center), and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso (right). PHOTO CREDIT: Contributed by Mamdani’s campaign. Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani has gained quite a bit of ground in the mayoral race.
One Long Island family’s hellish journey to foreclosure

1 week ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

“My parents are seniors and now you’re putting them out of their home,” said Nina Greene, 44, a retired New York City Police Department (NYPD) police officer who is physically disabled from a line of duty injury. She worked with the city’s evidence collection team, a skillset that has proved useful in her battle to try and keep her family home. Despite her efforts, the Greene family has lost their years-long struggle to keep their house from foreclosure.
Councilmember Yusef Salaam weighs Harlem One45’s zoning amendment

1 week ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget Hearing — Committees on Finance & Culture Affairs, May 21, 2025. PHOTO CREDIT: (Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit) The New York City Council held a zoning amendment hearing about Harlem’s One45 development project last week, overseen by Councilmembers Kevin Riley and Yusef Salaam.
On the ballot: Q&A with mayoral candidate Dr. Selma Bartholomew

2 weeks ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

Dr. Selma Bartholomew is an educator and a candidate in this year’s mayoral race against the incumbent Eric Adams. Her campaign for mayor is the definition of an “underdog” in a crowded field of well-funded candidates with the benefit of name recognition. Still, she seems unfazed by the obstacles ahead of her. Bartholomew was born in Grenada and grew up in Harlem.
NYC Council’s Charter Commission holds hearings

2 weeks ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

The New York City Council Charter Revision Commission (CRC) hearings on government accountability and strengthening local democracy are underway, not to be confused with the Mayor’s CRC. The dueling commissions kicked off last summer, when Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams went head-to-head over the advice-and-consent law, among other things.
NYC Braiding professionals unite for more access to licensing

2 weeks ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

African hair braiding has been a culturally significant practice in Black communities for decades. Dozens of braiding professionals rode buses to Albany last week to advocate for reforms to the natural hair styling license requirements. New York State was the first state to adopt a in 1993. To obtain a license, stylists need a check-up from a doctor, complete 300 hours of training, and pass a written and practical exam. It can cost between $3,500 and $7,000.
Breaking barriers with MCN Exec. Dir. Husein Yatabarry

2 weeks ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

Muslim Community Network (MCN) Executive Director Husein Yatabarry. PHOTO CREDIT: Contributed by Raven Robinson. Husein Yatabarry, 32, is Muslim Community Network’s (MCN) Executive Director –– the youngest and first Black American to hold the position.
State budget funding disappoints community advocates

3 weeks ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

This year’s $254 billion state budget was exceptionally late, but Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers finally voted on lingering items last week. Here are some of the areas that Black and Brown advocates were disappointed didn’t get more funding. The deadline for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 state budget was April 1.
Torres, Espaillat call for funding Harlem River Environmental Restoration Project

3 weeks ago | amsterdamnews.com | Ariama Long

Harlem River Greenway to the Bronx Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office In a letter last week, Congressmembers Ritchie Torres and Adriano Espaillat demanded New York City match funding for an environmental restoration project in Harlem.