"I first discovered photography at John Bowne High School in Flushing, Queens. It was offered as an elective. Once I saw a darkroom, the equipment, and paper dipped into a tray of chemicals for an image to appear, I thought to myself, "I need to learn this magic".
"Since I was very young, I remember visiting my father at his first driving school on 82nd and Roosevelt Avenue back in the 80s. It was a second-floor office at the time.
Meet Naishawn, one of our program participants at Queens Connect! Naishawn talks about what it’s like being in the program, plus his interest in gaining more experience in the kitchen!
"I've never really been a social person. I was an outcast at school and at home, so I spent a lot of time indoors alone. As I was growing more into myself I began wanting to watch LGBTQ media and learn up on history.
“I was there when there was a demonstration of the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activist Alliance back in Times Square where there were a lot of arrests going on at the time.
“I didn’t hear about Stonewall until after it happened. I remember the riot in ’69, but I’ve never been there. When I heard about the backlash against the police, I was surprised! This was a monumental thing.
