VOCES

Manhattan Chinatown has been fighting gentrification for generations. Today, four looming luxury “mega towers” may be the historic neighborhood's biggest threat. Here, the landlord ignores requests for basic maintenance from long-term tenants, but he sends crews to the building to fully renovate the vacant apartments right across the hall. These new “luxury” apartments rent for thousands a month.

Rents have gone up an average of 30% in the past five years in the United States – as of April 2024, the average rent in Manhattan was almost $5,000 a month. Some landlords are eager to get rid of long-term tenants and use various tactics including cutting off heat and gas, refusing to make repairs and ignoring vermin infestations.

Fabian Bravo and his family in Sunset Park, Brooklyn have been defending their right to live in a space safe from mold, lead, flooding, freezing temperatures and they have been locked in a fierce battle against their landlord for 15 years. Through home video and archival footage, we follow the family’s decades-long fight.

In New York City’s most quickly gentrifying neighborhoods, a group of fearless residents, activists and nonprofit attorneys fight corrupt landlords and developers for the basic human right to a home. Each story is a David vs. Goliath-type battle clearly exposing how interconnected systems give power to the real estate industry and contribute to the human toll of gentrification.

Go behind the scenes with the Mambo Legends Orchestra who committed to keeping the sounds of the great Afro-Cuban bandleaders Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez alive for future generations.

Meet the Mambo Legends Orchestra who committed to keeping the sounds of the great Afro-Cuban bandleaders Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez alive for future generations.

Meet the members of the Mambo Legends Orchestra including Mitch Frohman and Carmen Laboy. The band provides a link to the golden era when the Machito Orchestra fused the big-band sound of popular music with the rhythms of Africa, Cuba, and Puerto Rico to create an enduring musical genre beloved around the world.

The Former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff describes President Donald Trump's obsession with immigration. Joanna performs on saxophone and Juan sings "Ain't No Sunshine" as Maria describes how she learned she had a different status than her siblings. The family attends at meeting organized by the TPS Alliance.

Preparations for arguments at the Supreme Court are underway.

Meet Luis Cortes Romero, an immigration lawyer who is fighting to protect DACA. Growing up as an undocumented immigrant, Luis learned from an early age about the restrictions of not having American citizenship. While Luis was able to carve a successful path for himself, he often reflects on the time he lost getting to know his grandparents who were unable to join him and his family in the U.S.