humansofnewyork: (3/3) “It’s not easy being king.  I have to follow many of the old rituals.  I cannot be seen in public without an escort.  I must always eat alone.  And the power isn’t what it used to be.  We’re living in a different time.  We aren’t battling for territory anymore.  We aren’t petitioning the […]

humansofnewyork: (2/3)  “After I was granted asylum, I moved in with some cousins in the Bronx.  My first job was washing dishes in the kitchen of an adult home.  I was paid $297 every two weeks.  But I noticed that the private nursing assistants were paid a lot more, so I enrolled in some classes […]

humansofnewyork: (1/3)  “I’m the 29th King of the Akwamu Empire.  Three hundred years ago we ruled the entire southern part of Ghana.  The English described us as ‘bullies.’  The Danes described us as ‘thieves.’  Today I have 120 towns under my jurisdiction.  But I didn’t always want to be king.  I knew from a young […]