Exploring History and Advocacy at the People’s Beach at Jacob Riis Park

What are spaces of freedom, community, and expression? Do they form naturally, or can we create them? How can we designate, document, and defend these spaces now and in the future?

Join MAS as we explore these ideas with a virtual conversation about the People’s Beach at Jacob Riis Park. The People’s Beach has long been a beloved space for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. A recently announced city plan threatens to knock down a long-abandoned medical center that helped cultivate this stretch of beach as a safe haven. What would that mean for the beach and its role as a protected place for queer culture, queer history, and queer community?

The conversation will engage artists, historians, journalists, and activists in a discussion on the importance of the space, and how we can document, celebrate, and protect community spaces at Jacob Riis Park, and beyond.

PANELISTS
Ceyenne Doroshow, GLITS
Jahlove Serrano, GLITS
Ken Lustbader, NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project
Annie Iezzi, Freelance Journalist
Katie Honan, THE CITY
Chris Berntsen, Photographer

MODERATOR
Spencer Williams, MAS