[Excerpt] For 15 years, Make the Road New York (MRNY) has fought to ensure respect and dignity for immigrant, poor, and working class New Yorkers.
From our early years working to combine legal services, education, and community organizing in Jackson Heights and Bushwick, we had big dreams about what kind of city and state New York can be. And we had the audacity to believe we could build an organization with the sophistication and muscle to deliver on those dreams

Make the Road New York

English

[Excerpt] For 15 years, Make the Road New York (MRNY) has fought to ensure respect and dignity for immigrant, poor, and working class New Yorkers. From our early years working to combine legal services, education, and community organizing in Jackson Heights and Bushwick, we had big dreams about what kind of city and state New York can be. And we had the audacity to believe we could build an organization with the sophistication and muscle to deliver on those dreams.MRNY_15_Years_Fighting_for_Respect_and_Dignity.pdf: 47 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

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Make the Road New York: Fifteen Years Fighting for Respect and Dignity, 1997-2012

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Make the Road New York: Fifteen Years Fighting for Respect and 
Dignity, 1997-2012 
Make the Road New York 
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Make the Road New York: Fifteen Years Fighting for Respect and Dignity, 
1997-2012 
Abstract 
[Excerpt] For 15 years, Make the Road New York (MRNY) has fought to ensure respect and dignity for 
immigrant, poor, and working class New Yorkers. 
From our early years working to combine legal services, education, and community organizing in Jackson 
Heights and Bushwick, we had big dreams about what kind of city and state New York can be. And we 
had the audacity to believe we could build an organization with the sophistication and muscle to deliver 
on those dreams. 
Keywords 
unions, labor movement, organizing, New York, representation, AFL-CIO 
Comments 
Suggested Citation 
Make the Road New York. Make the Road New York: 15 years fighting for respect & dignity, 1997-2012. 
Brooklyn, NY: Author. 
Required Publishers Statement 
© Make the Road New York. Document posted with special permission by the copyright holder. 
This article is available at DigitalCommons@ILR: https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/institutes/11 
MAKE THE ROADNEW YORK
DIGNIDAD, COMUNIDAD Y PODER
Make the road
new york
15 years
fighting for
respect &
dignity
1997-2012
2012
Victories
How you can help
For 15 years, Make the Road new york (MRny) has 
fought to ensure respect and dignity for immigrant, poor, 
and working class new yorkers.
From our early years working to combine legal services, 
education, and community organizing in Jackson Heights 
and Bushwick, we had big dreams about what kind of 
city and state new york can be. and we had the audacity 
to believe we could build an organization with the 
sophistication and muscle to deliver on those dreams.
Thanks to the tenacity and vision of our 12,000+ 
members and those who helped us along the way, MRny 
has grown into a robust, multiservice powerhouse that 
works with tens of thousands of new york city and Long 
Island residents each year.
we’ve woven together the different strategies necessary 
to eradicate poverty. we take those tools deep into the 
neighborhoods where immigrants and low-income new 
yorkers live and work. and we deploy those strategies 
at city Hall, in albany, and on the national scene to win 
organizing victories and policy campaigns that improve 
the lives of hundreds of thousands.
   Launched a campaign organizing 
car wash workers with new york 
communities for change and the 
support of the RwDSu. workers 
at four car washes have already 
voted to form unions in one of 
nyc’s most exploitative industries.
   won two major policy changes 
guaranteeing translation and 
interpretation: first at all major 
pharmacy chains and mail order 
pharmacies statewide, impacting 
millions of customers; and then 
at all Suffolk county government 
agencies.
   won a state tenant protection 
Unit to enforce tenants’ rights and 
crack down on lawless landlords.
   youth leaders organized to save 
the critically-needed Bushwick 
community high school, giving 
hundreds of over-age and under-
credited students a second chance 
at their education.
   Launched an immigration law 
practice serving thousands with 
Deferred action applications and 
hundreds more with deportation 
defense, permanent lawful status, 
and immigrant services fraud 
prevention.
   Mobilized 20,000 new voters on 
Election Day as part of our new 
campaign for respect & Dignity, 
after registering 12,000 voters 
of color in nyc and Long Island 
and, with the center for Popular 
Democracy, an additional 7,000  
in Pennsylvania.
   Brought national attention to  
the harmful impact of the nyPD’s  
stop-and-frisk tactics on 
transgender New Yorkers and 
trained 1,600+ youth and LGBTQ 
community members about their 
rights when stopped by the police.
MrNY delivers for New Yorkers in need. The devastation 
in our communities brought on by Hurricane Sandy has 
compounded problems for tens of thousands of people already 
barely surviving on low wages, precarious employment, and 
substandard housing. 
we need your help to ensure that all affected families get the 
direct and ongoing support, legal representation and federal aid 
needed regardless of immigration status or English ability. 
Please visit our website to make your contribution today: 
www.maketheroadny.org/donate
o
u
R
 str
A
te
G
ie
s 
coMMUNitY orGANiZiNG
we unite community members of all 
ages to tackle poverty and injustice. 
our model relies on the leadership, 
knowledge, and deep commitment 
of our members. our 14 permanent 
organizing committees engage  
12,000 members through weekly 
meetings, strategic campaigns, and 
large-scale actions. From the ground  
up, we build broad-reaching coalitions 
and win meaningful victories that  
impact millions at the local, state,  
and national levels.
hiGh QUAlitY serVices
we help more than 10,000 individuals 
each year battle poverty with a pro-
gram of integrated legal and survival 
services. Through legal representation 
in the areas of employment, housing, 
immigration, and civil rights, our 
bilingual advocates and attorneys help 
families address income disruptions and 
life circumstances to lift themselves out 
of poverty.
trANsForMAtiVe eDUcAtioN
we build the capacity of 4,000 
young people and adults every year 
through diverse educational programs 
that interweave literacy, job training, 
leadership development, civics, and 
support to access higher education.
policY iNNoVAtioN
we innovate policy solutions to systems 
that perpetuate and exacerbate poverty. 
our legal team and technical experts 
work closely with our members and 
clients to identify systemic or recurrent 
problems, design legislation to change 
the rules of the game, and shift the 
balance of power at all levels of govern-
ment. as we then build campaigns to 
win and implement policy, we place our 
communities’ voices center stage in the 
major policy debates of our time. 15
 y
e
a
r
s
©Sabelo NaraSimhaN
heAlthY hoUsiNG  
AND protectioN  
For teNANts
MRny works to ensure that 
all tenants can live in healthy 
and affordable housing.
  Reduced nyc childhood 
lead poisoning rates by 56% 
through the toughest anti-
lead law in the u.S.
  won Safe Housing legislation 
to fix hazardous conditions 
for thousands of tenants, 
including mold, rodents, 
and conditions that trigger 
asthma—the #1 cause of 
school absences in nyc.
  Provided legal services to 
400 tenants each year to 
prevent evictions, repair 
unsafe housing units, and win 
hundreds of thousands of 
dollars in damages.
respect For lGBtQ 
NeW YorKers
MRny combats institu tional 
homophobia, transphobia, 
job discrimination, hate 
crimes, and harassment, 
while promoting LGBTQ 
inclusion and expression.
  Educated 8,500 high school 
students with our Safe 
Schools LGBTQ awareness 
and anti-bullying curriculum.
  Led community reconcilia-
tion and education initiatives 
after homophobic and anti-
immigrant hate crimes.
  Fought systematic LGBTQ 
discrimination at major re-
tailers and won a landmark 
campaign to ensure equal 
opportunities for transgen-
der employees at american 
Eagle outfitters.
citiZeNship AND  
ciVic eNGAGeMeNt
MRny connects disenfran-
chised communities into 
our democracy, increasing 
electoral participation 
through voter registration, 
education, and year-
round, nonpartisan civic 
engagement activities.
Access to QUAlitY 
eDUcAtioN
MRny’s young people 
and parents work side by 
side to fight for all public 
school students to receive 
a quality education and to 
expand resources for English 
language-learners.
  Served 2,000 young people 
with afterschool programming 
and trained 750 to become 
core leaders in their 
communities.
  Helped 14,000 adult students 
to learn English, computer 
skills, civics, and earn a GED.
  Piloted nyc’s first  
Student Success center, 
helping 1,000+ low-income 
students apply to college 
every year, achieving a  
75% acceptance rate.
  opened two high-performing, 
specialized public high 
schools for low-income 
immigrants and students  
of color.
  Prevented thousands of 
deportations and family 
separations each year, 
through policy change and 
direct representation.
  worked with national allies to 
win “Deferred action” to grant 
work permits to 1.5 million 
undocumented youth.
  Helped build a citywide 
coalition to end the  
nyPD’s discriminatory  
stop-and-frisk policies.
  Helped 12,000 immigrants 
become citizens through 
classes, test prep, and 
application assistance.
  Registered 20,000 immigrant, 
Latino, and african american 
voters.
  Educated and mobilized  
55,000 voters in local and 
national elections.
sAFe coMMUNities
MRny works to ensure that 
immigrants, people of color 
and LGBTQ new yorkers do 
not have to live in fear of 
police targeting, deportation, 
or discrimination.
eQUAl Access to 
heAlth cAre AND  
pUBlic serVices
MRny works to guarantee 
equal rights, access, and 
improved healthcare 
for the 2.5 million new 
yorkers with limited 
English proficiency.
  Improved disease prevention, 
early detection, and nutrition for 
20,000+ community members 
through direct benefits and 
health insurance enrollment, HIV 
testing, and health education.
  Secured the right to translation 
and interpretation services at 
all nyc public benefits offices; 
major public and private 
hospitals statewide; major chain 
pharmacies statewide; and 
city, State, and Suffolk county 
government agencies.
DiGNitY AND 
opportUNitY iN  
the WorKplAce
MRny promotes the right 
of all workers to a living 
wage, dignity, and freedom 
to organize on the job.
  Led the campaign to win the 
landmark state-level Wage 
Theft Prevention Act, which 
quadruples penalties for wage 
theft and protects workers from 
retaliation, making new york 
the national leader in the fight 
against wage theft.
  won $15 million in back wages 
and damages for exploited 
workers through legal 
representation.
  Trained 10,000 workers how to 
stand up for their rights, health 
and safety on the job.
  Provided job training, 
certifications and placement to 
1,000 people each year.
©JoaNa Toro
©william alaTriSTe
MaJoR policY Victories
nyc Language access 
in Pharmacies act
2009
ny State wage Theft 
Prevention act  
(wTPa)
nyc Multiple Dwellings 
Registration act to 
Promote Landlord 
accountability
2010
Executive order 26: 
Translation & Interpretation 
at State agencies
nyc crackdown on 
asthma Triggering 
Housing conditions
School Facility, 
accountability, capacity 
and Transparency 
(FacT) act
nyc Intro 656 to Stop 
unjust Deportations
nyc Student Safety act
2011
President obama’s 
Deferred action for 
childhood arrivals 
(Daca)
Suffolk county Executive 
order: Translation & 
Interpretation at  
county agencies
Safe Rx: Translation & 
Interpretation at Major 
Pharmacies Statewide
2012
nyc Equal access 
to Health & Human 
Services act
2003
2004
nyc childhood  
Lead Poisoning 
Prevention act
2005
Targeted cyclical 
Enforcement 
Program to Repair 
nyc’s worst 
Housing units
Regulations to  
Guarantee Translation  
& Interpretation  
at all ny State  
Hospitals
2006
nyc Safe Housing act
2007
Executive order 120:  
Translation & 
Interpretation at  
nyc Government  
agencies
2008
nyc Tenant  
Protection act
brooklyn
301 GRoVE STREET
BRookLyn, ny 11237
tel  718 418 7690
fax  718 418 9635
QUeeNs
92-10 RooSEVELT aVEnuE
JackSon HEIGHTS, ny 11372
tel  718 565 8500
fax  718 565 0646
stAteN islAND
161 PoRT RIcHMonD aVEnuE
STaTEn ISLanD, ny 10302
tel  718 727 1222
fax  718 981 8077
loNG islAND
1090 SuFFoLk aVEnuE
BREnTwooD, ny 11717
tel  631 231 2220
fax  631 231 2229
WWW.MAKetheroADNY.orG
MAKE THE ROADNEW YORK
DIGNIDAD, COMUNIDAD Y PODER


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