In 2020, New Jersey legislators enacted a ban on single-use plastic bags. It's working, says Siva Jonnada in a new column for Public Square Amplified. Critics cite a flawed study to suggest otherwise, though. "Like any new law, there are going to be problems which need to be overcome, but the early flaws that critics are finding are no reason to claim the plastic bag ban is a 'spectacular failure,'" he writes. "On the contrary, I am sure we will find more successes than failures and will continue to see concrete results."

In our final installment, three women journalists discuss the importance of owning one’s narrative and identity within a media landscape grappling with the construct of modern journalism — ideas that shape many of the concepts confronting white and non-White journalists including inclusivity, bias and objectivity.

As increasing attention at the national and state level is focused on the racial disparities in maternal health care, New Jersey continues to be plagued with staggering maternal and infant mortality rates. Currently ranked 29th in the country for maternal deaths, New Jersey has one of the widest racial disparities for maternal and infant mortality, with Black mothers in New Jersey nearly seven times more likely than White mothers to die from maternity-related complications. Black babies in New Jersey are nearly three times more likely than White babies to die before their first birthday. 

As a young Jewish woman, I try to hold on to hope for a future in which my people aren’t marked forever by Israel’s actions, for the blood on the hands of the once-oppressed-now-oppressors. But in a world where the Holocaust’s existence is questioned, I hope that the plight of the Palestinians is remembered, and remembered well.

In this exclusive column for Public Square Amplified, senatorial candidate Lawrence Hamm, founder of the People’s Organization for Progress, explains his decision to vote “uncommitted” in the upcoming New Jersey presidential primary, taking place June 4. Hamm is the only candidate in the primary who has said he will vote “uncommitted” to protest the war in Gaza.

In part one of this series, we featured stories of success, struggle and purpose from three remarkable women journalists who built their careers in primarily white-male-dominated newsrooms. For part two, we sat down with three more remarkable women journalists in the state working to establish a more equitable and inclusive media landscape that centers the narratives of communities being pushed to exist on the periphery of mainstream media.

In light of the importance of journalism for a cohesive civil society, healthy democracy, well-informed public and transparent government, some of New Jersey's most remarkable women journalists reporting on cities and communities around the state will share their stories of success, struggle, purpose and wisdom: What drives their work despite the challenges, the importance of white and non-white women in journalism, and tips and insights for others looking for support and inspiration in the field.

Newark, NJ - 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.