Some parents use the family court system to control and punish former partners, employing legal tactics that leave survivors emotionally drained and financially crippled. This piece focuses on the strategic use of court proceedings as coercive abuse, highlighting the hidden impact on children and families. Drawing on my previous reporting on family violence, it exposes how legal battles can mask manipulation and deepen trauma for those caught in these conflicts.

Children’s warnings are too often silenced in America’s family courts. Judges dismiss their fear as manipulation, while real histories of abuse are ignored in favor of vague theories like ‘parental alienation.’ The cost of these failures is measured in childhoods stolen and, too often, in lives lost.

Francis Mateo moves between languages the way a dancer shifts across a stage, deliberate, rhythmic, and full of purpose. His poetry, often bilingual, captures the spirit of Dominican life in Washington Heights with a clarity that feels both intimate and epic. Whether performing with the band La Sovietika or bringing his words to life on the theater stage, Mateo’s art is a testament to survival, memory, and the power of storytelling.

Family court proceedings are closed-door, serious, and often stripped of emotion, designed to protect privacy but also to shield the...

Dancers of all ages took the stage at Timber Creek High School as Movez Dance Academy celebrated its end-of-season recital. Among them, 10-year-old Brielle Fortis stood out with nine performances and a role as a student-teacher, showcasing a rising star in motion.

When Racquel and Ashley Sherlock arrived in Orlando, they didn’t just bring choreography, they brought a new energy. At Movez Dance Academy, their classes offer more than training; they’re spaces where dancers grow in confidence, connect through movement, and discover the strength of their own voices.

The border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti is more than a line in the soil. It is a wound cauterized by silence, reopened by every racialized deportation, every denial of identity, every unspoken legacy of the 1937 Parsley Massacre that killed as many as 30,000 Haitians and Black Dominicans. Through the voices of writers and activists, this piece explores how memory, literature, and solidarity are reshaping the narrative and healing the scars of history on Hispaniola

A recent literary event in New York sparked important conversations about cultural appropriation and Latinx identity. Attendees reflected on the tension between cultural appreciation and appropriation, emphasizing the need for authentic representation and respect for lived experiences.

The day begins before sunrise. By 5:00 a.m., in homes across Central Florida, mothers are carefully gathering false lashes, hairspray, rhinestone-studded headpieces, safety pins, and energy bars. Competitive dance day has arrived, and while the audience sees perfection under the spotlight, the preparation behind the curtain is a finely choreographed routine of its own.

A 15-year-old boy, struggling with the trauma of abuse, faces forced visitation with his father as family court overlooks his recovery. Accused of "parental alienation," his story underscores the urgent need for reform in family courts to prioritize children's safety and well-being.

Psychosocial rehabilitation offers a practical, mentorship-based approach to mental health care—bridging the gap between clinical therapy and everyday life. Through community involvement, skill-building, and emotional support, specialists like Alexandra Carcache guide individuals toward independence and confidence, helping them heal not just in therapy but in the real world.

We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. And if solutions within the system are so impossible to find, then maybe we...

Abril Peña is a writer, advocate, and community organizer whose life and work are deeply rooted in her Dominican heritage. Nacida y...

Exposure doesn’t pay the bills.” That’s the hard truth every freelance writer learns sooner or later. Behind every polished byline is a writer who’s pitched, negotiated, and likely been underpaid before finding their stride. The romanticized image of the free-spirited creative scribbling for passion fades quickly when rent is due. In reality, making writing a career means wearing many hats—businessperson, marketer, negotiator.

Creating Change through Creativity Art is not just a reflection of society; it is a weapon of resistance, a force that catalyzes change...