Allison Lau

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The reporters of NYCityLens interviewed more than a dozen people to learn about the culture of Rikers Island. What we found were accounts that haunt people, even years after their time on Rikers.

After a devastating accident took the life of Joshlyn Perry-Aughburns’ two-year-old daughter, Zaenah, she began learning about the causes that lead to infant and toddler deaths. What she repeatedly saw was how common child deaths are in low income neighborhoods, primarily due to lack of education and resources. In 2009, she took matters into her own hands and created Zaenah's Blanket Foundation, Inc., in honor of her late daughter. Perry decided to dedicate her organization to helping families who are unable to provide basic necessities for their children. Over the course of two months, I had the honor of filming Perry as she drove to every borough to make deliveries, completely free of charge to recipient families. She is currently in the process of expanding to incorporate health education courses including CPR and doula services.

Patricia Fox, better known as "Purely Patricia," takes immense pride in bringing smiles to New Yorkers and tourists with her wildly elaborate ensembles. She is an annual Easter favorite and a very special part of the city's flair. I've made a short documentary about her preparation, artistic vision, and what the festival means to her. She is a wonderful reminder of the beautiful spirit and essence of New York City's traditions.

The McKinley Clover Steppers — a dance team formed in 2013 by seven middle and high school-aged students in the Bronx gather at the community center four times a week for three-hour practices and memorize routines involving stomping, clapping and chanting. Instead of cheering for a sports team, the teens cry out that violence is not the answer. Since the group’s inception, the Clover Steppers have been speaking out against gun violence in their borough. “We step to show our community to put the guns down let’s talk about it because enough is enough,”

Makeup artist Alina Baretto may have an eye for making people beautiful, but her true passion is for gory and grotesque visual effects. She gave up her life in Puerto Rico to pursue her passion in New York City and spends long days on set waiting for the day she can finally utilize all the practice to not only make people beautiful, but as ugly as possible.

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

Some people spend their Sundays in church, others like to unwind with a good book, but in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, a small group of artists are rolling up their sleeves, grabbing scalpels and cutting open a mischief of mice to learn the craft of taxidermy. Leading the course is Katie Innamoroto, 27, a woman whose curiosity and passion for wildlife led her to the study of preservation, natural history and inadvertently, a side job as a teacher. Innamoroto’s perfectionist nature and ethical practices have gained her tens of thousands of followers on social media and are shaping the emergence of a new wave of female taxidermists. Outside of craftsmanship, Innamoroto also spends her time reading about legislation regarding the legality of collecting roadkill and carefully sources her animals by working with donations from her community, as well as former pet owners. “Nothing is ever killed for it,” she says. “People give me their pets because they don’t want to burn or bury them.” Innamoroto dove into the culture of preservation the day she witnessed a truck turn a baby fox into roadkill. “I really wanted to preserve it so I tried skinning it,” she recalls. “I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right. After that, I found a guy who taught me the basics, that’s kind of when I was like -- yeah, [this is] what I want to do.” Since that day, she has been invested in perfecting her craft by teaching courses, attending conventions and submitting her work in competitions with hope that she will be able to open her own brick and mortar shop.

Jenni Konopski spent years being bullied for hair loss caused by Alopecia Areata, but over the years grew tired of hiding under a wig. In 2017, she organized an Alopecia awareness march through Times Square to proudly leave behind the shame and fear she's felt over the years.