Who are you?

I am a daughter, a writer, an environmentalist, a sister. I am a pet lover, Harry Potter enthusiast. And I am someone that I hope people feel safe with and can always talk to.

How do you identify?

 I identify as a CIS heterosexual woman.

How do you want to/prefer to be seen?

I think no matter what we do, we're always going to be perceived in a certain way, especially as a black woman and in certain spaces. So I think, how do I want to prefer to be seen? I prefer to be seen as my whole self, as Iris, and not what I look like, but for who I am and what I do. But I think it's always human nature to make a judgment or an impression about someone within the first couple seconds of meeting them. 

So how do I want to be seen? I think that's a difficult question because you don't really get to know someone within the first five seconds of meeting them. But if I had to answer the question to someone who really knows me, I would say, see me for my skills. See me for how I show up for you in your life. See me than more than is skin deep or my age. And see me beyond my network. That's a hard question for me because you just never know how you're perceived, especially as a black woman. 

So I would like folks to see me as a whole person, of course, and acknowledge my race, my gender, and who I am. But don't limit that to what you think that is all that I am. I think actually a lot of times, I prefer not to have people perceive me. So, in general, across my social media, except on LinkedIn, I just have a character as my photo or a flower or something like that. And there's been a few times where I'll take away certain qualifiers on my resume or different types of things, you know, applications or materials that come from me because I know that people are looking to figure out those things very quickly. So yeah, I think that's what I would say. I don't know if I answered your question, but I've been thinking about it.

Why do you think it is necessary to hide or change certain things?

When we think about hiring practices or, you know, when we're going through life, I think our natural biases always come up. And I guess trying to protect myself from that or not let those things put me in a category. While they're important to acknowledge, I think the world in the way that we live it is a structure. And is not rooted in a structure that supports black women, supports, you know, other identifying folks or whatever that may be. So I think it's sort of a protective mechanism that like, here's what I can do, here's who I am. But these qualifiers, I don't always think are necessary for you to know about who I am and how I walk through the world.

Could you tell me why you live in a city?

I live in a city because I think cities, especially bigger ones, such as New York City, offer a lot of diversity. They offer opportunity, they offer protection. And I think one of the great [things about] cities like New York is that they bring people from all over the world to be in one place. And I think having the privilege to be in a city that has public transportation, that has bike lanes, that has, I don't know, just like so many things that other people can do. I think I live in a city because it offers opportunity. Just on a climate perspective, I think it's a better way to live.

I think having access to public transportation, a lot of resources, [and] just a lot of people here who can do all kinds of things. I think having the access to experience all kinds of cultures from around the world here in one city is something that I'd be hard pressed to pass up. I think also living in a city teaches you that really life is supposed to be communal. And don't get me wrong, I think you do get that in rural communities and other places outside of urban areas. But I think we're realizing the benefits of density and the benefits of how we can make cities better. And I'm glad that I live here to sort of think through these problems, see them firsthand and think about ways to make them better. But yeah, I think on a personal level, like I said, like the diversity of people and experiences and food and perspectives, it's interesting, as a black woman, I think it offers some protection. But I think in a more urban planning, a more like, life quality [way], I think those things tend to be higher in a city.

Can you tell me about a memorable urban experience you have had?

San Francisco [has] lots of bus lines. There's BART, there's the Muni, and there's this bus line that goes all the way down, I think, to like, Bayview Hunters Point. And it goes all the way up to close to the top of San Francisco, which is Presidio. And so it's just always memorable to me because you'll go through all these neighborhoods and see various perspectives of life. Like, for example, if I'm in the Mission, I'm in a primarily Hispanic community. If I'm in the Richmond, [it is] primarily an Asian community, or if I'm going down to Bayview Hunters Point, [it is] primarily a, well, a dwindling black population. I think it was interesting that I could pay my, like, $2.50 and, like, see all of these different people and experiences, like, just on one bus line. And how, I think you know this, but San Francisco has many microclimates. So, like, Hunters Point is breezy, with lots of hills. The Mission is like the heat pocket of San Francisco. The Richmond is. It doesn't even feel like you're in San Francisco. And then, where I lived was in the Presidio, which was a land trust, so it was on Baker Beach. I was by the ocean. But then I could walk down from the beach and leave the Presidio and be in the center of San Francisco with just a short bus ride. So I feel like just living in a city like that where you have so many different microclimates, so many groups of people living together that I always thought was interesting. On the flip side, a non-urban experience I always remember was [when I was] spending some time in Mississippi for a summer where I was teaching, and there were no sidewalks. And often when my roommate and I would walk, a lot of people would stop us and say, hey, do you guys need a ride? Are you lost? Can I help you? And it was just so interesting to see the stark difference of, like, living here in New York City and being down south. But people don't really walk. This was in Meridian, Mississippi. So it was just, like, interesting to see this stark difference. Like, “nope, we're just walking. We're good,” like, on the side of the road. And people thought we needed help versus, like, nope, we're just using our two feet. So, two different experiences, but interesting.

And even just thinking about that, like, how that's another reason I live in the city: walkability. I think the average daily steps of a New Yorker has to be at least 10 times higher than someone who depends on a car every day to get where they are. I think, too, if we even think about how vehicles have gotten larger and bigger, more damage and destruction to the roads, how much it's safer for whoever's driving, but has become marginally unsafe for the folks outside of the car. Thinking about that, too. And yeah, don't want to go into the rabbit hole of congestion pricing and all that stuff, but [those are] just things to think about.

How supportive do you feel the city is to your needs?

I think, speaking just from the perspective of being a woman with womanly parts, I think it's interesting to see when you are in certain spaces, like public bathrooms, not having pads or tampons, or even at my current workplace, they just installed a nursing room at one of their campuses in New Jersey, where I feel like that should be the standard anywhere in an office, especially when people are spending eight to nine to ten hours a day [there]. But just having, like, access to, you know, sanitary needs. Pads, tampons, those types of things. Yeah. Just even having, like, access to, like, public, like, water, I think sometimes is tough if you're not near a Starbucks or near a Dunkin Donuts or can buy something from a store. So that's probably what I would say in terms of [that]. One thing that is interesting about this city is the various different products you will find in certain stores. Like Target has their, like, ethnic aisle with all the black hair products, or certain, you know, drugstores but it's also interesting when you go to other neighborhoods and those same, same stores, like, how culturally relevant a lot of the stores are. So I think that's definitely, like, one thing I appreciate about New York City is that stores are culturally relevant. But I think as a whole, like, even having, like, public restrooms more, things like that, I think the city can be a bit better. 

Do you feel included in the city (as a person of value)?

I would say yes. Yeah, I mean, I think I would say yes. Despite all the infrastructure issues and things like that that our city has, I would. I would say yeah.

I guess one thing that I would probably say is I think personally for me, and, like, one of the reasons why, I guess, sort of, and this might be. No, this has nothing to do with the pandemic. But I do think myself, as a woman, I don't always feel safe walking wherever I am or taking the subway or being in my most feminine clothes. I still think that despite this being a super safe city, where murder rates and crime rates have gone tremendously down. I still think that women have to deal with the male gaze or a gaze that you have to be mindful of, like, oh, is my skirt too short? Or, like, should I wear a different shoe? Or, oh, I have this outfit on. But, like, I should probably put on a jacket when I'm, like, getting on the train or something like that. So I think as a whole, the city is safe. But I think as an individual, like, there will be times where I'm coming in late for something and I'm like, hey, to my fiance, “Can you meet me at the train? Or, can you come get me? Or, like, can you go with me?” So I think on A personal level. While I enjoy, like, walking around and, like, being in the city, I think on a personal level, there are things that could be better in terms of safety. And I'm sure you've seen this too, Mike. We have seen an increase of law enforcement at certain [subway] stations and in crowded areas, and that's fine. But I don't necessarily see them as markers of safety for reasons you and I both know, and we don't have to go into. I still think that I would probably go to another black woman or a woman if I am in trouble and need help versus a male or someone who appears to be male. So, yeah, that's probably what I would say that we're sitting in a library, and, like, a library is a safe space, and I think [places like this are] disappearing. Depending on who you talk to, I think [there are] disappearing third spaces that are also safe. There are some. There's not as much as I would like there to be. So, yeah, I'll stop there.

That's very illuminative. It's like, the safety thing is something that I've heard about a lot and read about, and it seems like a very tiring thing. Like, is it something that you think about, that you have to think about daily?

I would say yes. And I would say I feel most safe, I guess, in the wintertime, because everyone's sort of walking around like penguins, all covered up. But, yeah, I don't know. Like, it's hard sometimes.  Like, I'm not really a friendly person, but, like, if I make eye contact with someone, I will nod, I will say hello. But I'm more. I feel much safer doing that with a woman. You know, saying hello to a woman or asking her for something or more willing to [be like], like, hey, yeah, what do you need?” Versus, you know, other persons. I think it also depends on what I perceive the person to be as, well, going back to one of the first questions you had asked me. So, again, yeah, I think those are things that I do think about on the daily.

Who is part of your community?

Who is part of my community? That's a good question. I feel like I have multiple communities. I feel like I have my journalism community. I feel like I have my climate community, which I think you are part of. I have my family. That's my community. I think I have my friends. So, I think I have multiple communities. I think my community garden is also part of my community. So I would say all of those spaces are my community. I think, like, even I'm a member of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. I think that is community. And, like, I would say community space. So I would say I think of the various groups that I'm a part of and certain spaces as my community. But I think. I think that's also a tough word because we're always in search of community. And I think in many ways, like, community is also, like, what you can contribute and bring value to the group. So I've also been trying to, like, unlearn and understand community as well. 

*Interview was interrupted by a commotion in the library*

 Oh.

 He took a while to come over. Just saying. Yeah.

 At the front, too.

 Yeah, it's the same guy. Yeah.

 So, sorry. Sorry.

 No, sorry about that. I just hate that, because then you get, like, a little bit distracted. Yeah.

What else should we know about how you feel about cities?

I think I go back and forth between “do I want to continue living in a city or do I want to live somewhere where I have more space, more privacy, more land?” Because it goes back to that safety issue. But then it's also going back to what is it that Iris wants out of life. Ideally, it would be wonderful if it could be a mix of both, but I think I’m still trying to figure out what that is and what that looks like. I think there's a lot of value in cities. I also think there's also a lot of value in rural communities and what you can find there. But that's not something that I've been able to really explore just yet. But, yeah, so I think I've just been going back and forth. It's like, what does Iris want to do next? Because I've always lived in cities. I think it's always worked for me as like a younger person. No children, all that type of stuff. I think cities make sense. But I'm also like, if I ever do become a parent, what is it like raising children in a city, especially one like New York City? I think, you know, you and I both know this. With people who have one or two children, they tend to leave cities. And like, why is that? Is it because cities don't support families? So, yeah, I think I've just been thinking a lot about that deeply in terms of what is a good balance of living? Because in many ways I think they're. The both extremes aren't sustainable. Like, when you do think about cities, I mean, I think you and I are relatively higher income earning folks. But for those that are not, living in New York City is very expensive. You don't always have access to the types of food and resources that you don't that you want. But on the flip side, living in outside of cities, you have those same issues too, but they just look very differently. So I think that's just what I've been thinking about is like, what is a balance? Because I won't lie, some days I'm like, oh my God, there's people everywhere. Like, why are you all here? And then there's other days where I'm like, I love this. The world is like right here and all I have to do is pay $2.90 and I can see it. So. So yeah.

What would make the city more convenient for you?

I grew up in East Flatbush and deeper East Flatbush, where I had to take a bus to a train, two trains to like get to school. So when I was in high school I lived, yeah, Deep Brooklyn and I used to go to high school on the Upper West Side. So that was about a two hour commute. I think having more connectivity in New York City, actually, I think there's many areas in the city that are actually transit strapped and it's great to see New York City actually doing a lot of infrastructure projects. We have the Queenslink, we have the Interborough coming soon. We have. I know, well, the mayor's supposed to be putting in more bike lanes. He's only done a mile, but [he is] supposed to be doing that. So I think New York City is doing what it's what it can to get better infrastructure. I also think that New York City is behind the curve compared to cities like Vancouver who are actually building more light rail and building it at a faster rate. And it isn't so expensive. I think infrastructure projects in the United States just cost billions and take decades of years for no reason.

So I think what would make a city more convenient is it being more flexible in how it builds new infrastructure. Figuring out a way that it doesn't have to be so expensive, figuring out how it doesn't have to take so long. I would also probably say for high schoolers and middle school kids with the Omni system they now have unlimited swipes and it can work on the weekends. I know you grew up in Chicago, but I grew up here and when I was going to middle school and high school, we had the Metro cards, but we only had three swipes a day and it used to stop at 7pm it's very restrictive. So if you. A lot of times we had late practices for orchestra or band or whatever, various sports or, you know, if we were practicing for shows. So that was money that actually came out of our pockets to like be able to get home or on the weekends. So I think thinking back to when I was younger, those are things. Now with the new Omni system that is something that I think we should have always had. So yeah, I would say those are, those are some of the things that I would think about in terms of, like making a city more convenient and then back to the personal womanhood stuff that I mentioned earlier. 

 And like just a last follow up. So for the, with the infrastructure stuff, would that be more convenient for you personally as well, do you think?

I think if there are ways to connect deeper neighborhoods in all of the boroughs, because the way that our infrastructure is right now, and this is for a lot of cities, it's all focused on Manhattan. Every single train line, except the G, goes into Manhattan. And that's how it was made, which is not a bad thing. We were focused on getting people into Manhattan so that they could go to work. But the landscape of work and where it's focused is different now. We do have offices in Queens. We do have a lot of industry, tech office spaces now in Brooklyn. And I think that the city needs to do a better job of, like, recognizing that and adapting to those needs. If you think about it, Dumbo, for example, is not that far from downtown. But you talk to any New Yorker, and it's like, Dumbo is so hard to get to. Why it's not far distance-wise. So I think those are some of the things that I often think about. It's like, how do we better adapt to the changing landscape of the city and make it more connected?