Allison Lau

Grieving for my grandparents and my culture shifted something inside me.

There is a private hell that comes with being a first-generation kid. Growing up in a town where nearly 80 percent of the population is white, I learned very quickly that cultural identities were to be concealed rather than celebrated. It wasn’t until my grandparents’ death that I felt the weight of everything I had fallen away from.

Choosing to Be the Woman Following Her Dreams

One in five women are raped at some point in their lives, and 63 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to police. Many women face life-altering shame and backlash for coming forward, and for me, there were deeply personal reasons behind my reasoning that affected my recovery and career.

FDA Approval for Muscular Dystrophy Drug

In 2011, just before Dayna and Manni Scarso’s son, Pietro, turned three, they discovered his body was deteriorating from the inside out. A year later Pietro was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare, incurable disease that each year affects one out of 3,600 boys worldwide. 

Parents Say Reports of Lead Are Overblown

Nestled between Manhattan and Queens is a small island that has been receiving more attention than usual–Roosevelt Island. To be precise, the island's school–P.S./I.S. 217. It's been in the headlines with reports of water laced with lead at the levels seen in Flint, Mich.

A Young Angeleno Channels Her Sadness into the Miss USA Pageant

There are two ways to carry yourself when tragedy strikes; you can wallow in your sorrows, or utilize the experience to propel you forward and allow yourself become the person you’ve always envisioned for yourself. 

Breaking Bread and Boundaries in Central Harlem

A line of several dozen people form beneath the All Souls Episcopal Church each Wednesday evening in Central Harlem. Though the group varies in ethnicity, age, gender and stature, their faces wear the same fragile expression. Many of them have been homeless for years, some have been formerly incarcerated, and most of them struggle to make ends meet.

An Alcove of Wellness Amidst a Food Desert

Harlem has been locked in a battle against obesity and diabetes for years. But there is hope in Harlem’s desert: the Oasis Jimma Juice Bar, a safe haven for wellness. Abdusalam Abajabal, an immigrant from Ethiopia known as Abdi, opened Oasis Jimma Juice Bar after struggling with his own nutritional setbacks.