The act of childbirth is always an intimate one — filled with a host of emotions, from joy to pain.

Using his black and white medium, Public Square Amplified's Brian Branch-Price had the unique opportunity to do what only great photographers can–to almost not exist in the moment yet to be at the center of it. "For them to welcome me into that space was a crazy, wonderful experience," Branch-Price recalled, "It's unusual for that to happen unless the subject has a lot of trust and confidence.”

Doctors pledge to do no harm. So, as a genocide takes place before our very eyes, the silence of our medical institutions has led to widespread disgust and shame on the part of medical students, residents, and attending physicians. As medical students, many of us got into this field with the same goal: to help people. However, watching this blatant hypocrisy from the institutions and individuals that I would otherwise respect is horrifying.

NEWARK, NJ–Corinne Bailey Rae is a time traveler. A cosmonaut. A historian of the future past. And this benevolent explorer wants her fans to see what she has seen. Her latest album, Black Rainbows, a 45-minute transmission released September 15, invites the listener on an immersive, sonic voyage traversing the American South, Ethiopia, and the great expanse of outer space as Bailey Rae surveys what was and what will be of Black existence.

(Graphic: Mandy Coriston for Square Amplified; Source USDA Census of Agriculture, New Jersey)

On Sept. 17, over 75,000 people took to New York City streets to call out President Biden’s failed climate policies. The largest gathering of climate demonstrators since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the March to End Fossil Fuels brought together a cross-section of citizens and activists to demand the president act with urgency to reverse his recent decisions regarding projects detrimental to the climate, move to bring an end to fossil fuels, and declare a climate emergency.

For the 11th year in a row, the Newark Science and Sustainability organization (NewarkSAS) held its annual Sustainable Living Empowerment conference on Thursday, June 22, in virtual mode. The conversation titled 'Branching communities together through sustainability' centered on creating a sustainable food economy, environmental advocacy actions, and processes to engage communities in these efforts.

For many, commemorative holidays have been reduced to another day off or a means to host a barbecue or ravage a sale. Yet, they all came at a human cost. 

Juneteenth is one such noble day that represents more than just the end of the enslavement of Africans in America, but reminds us of a political moment that lives vividly in our contemporary space. It is also referred to as "Freedom Day" or "African American Emancipation Day." 

In the four decades since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, the disease has taken the lives of more than 750,000 Americans, part of a total of 40.1 million deaths worldwide. A 2022 estimate shows that there are currently over 1.2 million Americans living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), of which 13% remain undiagnosed.

Photography cannot only capture an image but also a sound. Public Square Amplified's photojournalist, Brian Branch-Price, displays his adeptness in depicting gospel music through his signature black-and-white medium. Through his photos, he gives us a glimpse of the rhythms that tie family to music and God.