March 14, 2009

MRNY's Second Annual Community Assembly a Huge Success!

By  Make the Road New York Staff / Make the Road New York

This past Saturday, close to 1,000 low-income, mostly Latino, New Yorkers from Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island gathered together for MRNY's Second Annual Member Assembly. It was a very spirited affair.

We kicked off the day with hundreds of MRNY members marching through the streets of Bushwick and warming up the crowd with performances. (Watch highlights here.)

MRNY leaders Amador Rivas and Francisca Mujica then got serious by reviewing MRNY's substantive policy platform for the scores of elected officials in attendance at the assembly, hosted at the Bushwick High School Campus. (Watch in Spanish.)

We then enjoyed a special video appearance from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and heard from other prominent guests (click the links to watch videos):

• Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Nydia Velazquez
• Member of Congress Anthony Weiner
• NYC Comptroller William Thompson
• NYC Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum
• NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn with City Council Members Reyna, Ferreras, Arroyo, and Gioia
• NYC Council Member Eric Gioia
• NYC Council Member John Liu
• Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

We closed out the day with inspiring performances by poets, MRNY's very own theater troupe, and performances representing the cultural diversity of Latin America.

Together, we amplified the voices and policy concerns of thousands of low-income New Yorkers. Our elected representatives listened and promised to take action to promote equity and opportunity. We are looking forward to working together to make our vision a reality.

More on: Community and Electoral Organizing