5 BRONX WEEKLY May 17, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
BY JASON COHEN
She has been on Broadway,
performed at the United Nations
and sang the national
anthem at colleges and high
schools throughout New York
City.
Layla Capers, 11, of Wakefi
eld, who was Nala in the “Lion
King” before COVID-19 shuttered
Broadway, has been singing
from her front porch everyday
at 7 p.m. to bring hope and
encouragement to her community
and give thanks to doctors,
nurses, health care workers
and essential workers.
“I came home from Broadway
and noticed all the hard
work the doctors, nurses and
essential workers are putting
in,” Capers said.
She noted that many nights
her neighbors are outside waiting
for her to sing. She has performed
songs by Alicia Keys
and other songs like “Hallelujah”
by Leonard Cohen and
“Lean on Me” by Bill Withers.
Her mom Diana Capers is
proud of her daughter.
“I really enjoy how she’s
turned such a trying time into
a positive,” Diana said.
Capers found her passion
for singing at 4-years-old as
she sang along to Disney songs,
family karaoke nights and during
worship at church. By age
fi ve, Capers was a performer at
the I Can Sing Vocal Showcase.
Her love for the stage and natural
stage presence began to
open many doors for her.
While performing in church,
they suggested she get a vocal
coach. Eventually, she did and
hired Conrad Robinson, the
same person who discovered
Alicia Keys and H.E.R.
Things changed in the summer
of 2018. Diana posted videos
of her daughter singing and
was soon contacted by a man
who would eventually become
Capers’ manager.
He quickly landed her an
audition for “School of Rock”
and at 9-years-old, she was on
Broadway.
“I fi rst thought wow it’s incredible,
I’ve always dreamed
of being in that role,” she exclaimed.
Her life turned upside down.
While most kids were seeing
movies, playing outside or
glued to tablets, she was going
from school to Broadway and
home every day.
She recalled that it was a bit
of an adjustment at fi rst. She
had to do all of her homework in
the car and wouldn’t get home
until 11 p.m. However, she was
living her dream.
“I don’t really get nervous,”
Capers explained. “I’m just really
excited. I knew I wanted to
be in musical theater and onstage
one day.”
Then in November 2019, she
landed the part of Nala in “Lion
King.” She was in the show until
March when the coronavirus
closed Broadway. This has
allowed her to spend time with
family, but she does miss seeing
her friends.
She is studying at the
GIFTED Performing Arts Program,
where she is training for
piano, guitar, hip hop, contemporary
dance and acting.
You can catch Capers singing
at local churches, talent
shows, street fairs and many
other community events. She
will also appear on Sesame
Street for Season 51.
“It’s so crazy sometimes,”
she said. “I feel so grateful.”
MISSING METADATA CONTENT
Nonprofi t donates
laptops and hotspots to
high school students
BY JASON COHEN
During the time of COVID-19,
local nonprofi ts have stepped up
to the plate to provide resources
to children who do not have the
proper equipment for virtual
learning.
Nonprofi ts HERE to HERE
and the Bronx Community
Relief Effort (BCRE) purchased
and are distributing
600 Chromebooks and 750 Wi-
Fi hotspots to students of 30 city
high schools.
“We’re thrilled to partner
with The Bronx Community Relief
Effort, DreamYard and our
partner high schools to make
sure that more students have
access to the technology they
need for remote learning and
to make sure their professional
development continues during
this period of so much disruption,”
said Abby Jo Sigal, founding
CEO of HERE to HERE.
“This pandemic has exposed
deep inequities across our city,
which is only being magnifi ed
with school closures and the interruption
of programs like the
Summer Youth Employment
Program.”
The COVID-19 pandemic and
its impact on New York City has
exposed gaps in access to digital
learning. HERE to HERE
has worked with its network
schools to identify the immediate
technological needs of their
students and schools reported
access to laptops and reliable
Wi-Fi. A large pool of students
across the Bronx and other boroughs,
including college students,
still lack laptops along
with free or affordable, reliable
high-speed internet access.
Cities like Philadelphia and
Cleveland have shown that adjustments
can be made to the
youth internship and employment
infrastructure to incorporate
digital work-based
learning. Philadelphia plans
to continue its summer youth
employment program digitally
and HERE to HERE is hoping to
show the administration it can
do the same.
New York City’s recent decision
to cancel Summer Youth
Employment Program, a workbased
learning opportunity for
the city’s young people and communities,
has left many searching
for ways to develop their
professional skills and connections,
support their families
and stay meaningfully engaged,
and if necessary, indoors this
summer.
“The Bronx is considered a
digital desert with many in our
community not having access
to technology, or in some cases
the internet, in order to learn
from home and to participate
in virtual work-based learning
opportunities,” said Derrick
Lewis, founder and chair of the
Bronx BCRE. “We are grateful
for our partnership with
HERE to HERE and DreamYard
to distribute Chromebook laptops
and Wi-Fi hotspots to our
Bronx high school students.
Their leadership is helping us
close the digital divide in The
Bronx.”
Broadway star and Wakefi eld resident
lifts community’s spirits with music
Laptops donated by HERE to HERE Photo courtesy of HERE to HERE
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