On June 4, 2019, Councilman Donovan Richards visited the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, where CCIP J-1 Interns Charmaine Low and Lisa Peh interned at.
Charmaine Low and Lisa Peh from the School of Art, Design and Media in Nanyang Technological University, joined the New York City arts and culture crowd rallying for financial support outside City Hall on May 21, 2019. Alongside David Bryne from the American rock band Talking Heads, Charmaine and Lisa held up their posters and screamed their lungs out in support for the arts and culture in the city.
"This was just the second day of our internship and we saw firsthand the rage and enthusiasm for arts and culture in New York City," Lisa explained. "The rally held a lot of importance to the people who work in the arts because a lot of museums, non-profit organizations, and culture centers are finding it hard to stay afloat."
Byrne also mentions in his powerful speech that these cultural centers lift up communities in the city and more importantly, there has been research showing that the more arts and culture programs for the community, the lower crime and obesity rates.
"As the speakers came up one by one to tell their story about how without funding they could not do the work they were supposed to, I felt the struggle in their voice and their undying love for arts and culture," Charmaine said.
