ISSUE 005: FRIENDS AND FAMILY, THE NEW YORK KNICKS

ON THE COVER:

The Knick's Return photographed by Don Brodie

On Thursday, June 18, 2026, more than two million fans packed the sidewalks along Manhattan’s Broadway Avenue and its surrounding blocks for the New York Knicks’ championship ticker-tape parade. Marching through the historic Canyon of Heroes from Battery Park to City Hall, the celebration marked the end of a grueling 53-year title drought—a generational wait that had transformed the fanbase into one of the most resilient, long-suffering, and fiercely loyal in sports history. Built on grit, overlooked talent, and an unyielding underdog spirit, the 2026 Knicks squad seemed to hold up a reflection of the city to itself. In a time of political turmoil and uncertainty, the Knicks' NBA Championship win reaffirmed for both old fans and new ones a shared belief about the city itself–that New York is a place where a little bit of luck, a lot of resilience, and being surrounded by a city full of dreamers make even the most unlikely of victories seem possible.

Also featured in this issue:

Lauryn Hill, Andre D. Wagner, Becky Akinyode, Cheryl Clarke, Darnell Moore, Jawara Wauchope, Jessica Madavo, Kennedi Carter, Kokoroko, Polo Silk, Rafael Rios, Rahim Fortune, Remi Ajani, Robert Franklin, Robin Givhan, Ronan McKenzie, Tayari Jones and more.

Issue 005, the Friends and Family issue, explores what it means to look to those around us as the answer to how we elevate ourselves through the most trying of times. 

When all seems to be falling around us, and we feel powerless to the forces swirling around our heads, we retreat to our most sacred spaces, holding on to those with whom we share our most intimate bonds.

These same people do not only occupy space with us in the dark, but they sustain us in the light. They stand by us at our best, pushing us forward and celebrating our wins.

The possibilities for what we can do and bear are boundless when we have our friends and family by our side.

For Issue 005, we turn our gaze away from the individual and toward the collective, knowing that it is in “community”, among our friends and family, that we can access that well of power needed to meet the moment.