Make the Road New York

Make the Road New York brings immigrant New Yorkers together to promote justice, civil rights and opportunity. Our organizing work gives voice to thousands of low-income New Yorkers, builds community, and wins major public policy victories.

Weekly membership meetings are at the heart of Make the Road New York's community organizing. We have hundreds of participants each week, who work hand-in-hand with staff organizers and legal advocates to address problems and find solutions in our base communities and across New York City.

Here is our current meeting lineup:

Education Justice Project — Brooklyn and Queens
The Education Justice Project organizes and educates parents about their children's rights at school and provides Brooklyn and Queens parents with high quality legal services on education-related matters. Education Justice members are also organizing around school issues such as student academic achievement, school disciplinary policies, after-school programming and the lack of translation services for limited English proficient parents.

Workplace Justice Project — Brooklyn and Queens
The Workplace Justice Project combines innovative, collective action and strategic organizing campaigns among low-wage immigrant workers with innovative legal casework to enforce basic rights and standards of dignity in industries where exploitation is the norm. Workplace Justice members fight for just wages and safe working conditions, and mobilize against workplace sexual harassment issues. Each week, members develop and refine strategies for organizing campaigns, participate in "Know Your Rights" Workshops, and learn from a range of guest speakers.

Civil Rights and Immigrant Power Project — Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island
The Civil Rights and Economic Power Project challenges discrimination against immigrants who do not speak English and creates a strong voice for low-income and unemployed immigrant workers in the policy-making processes related to the administration of public benefits and health care services in New York State. The Civil Rights and Economic Power Project also leads Make the Road New York’s work to promote a just and comprehensive reform of our nation’s immigration laws.

Environmental and Housing Justice Project — Brooklyn and Queens
The Environmental and Housing Justice Project fights for housing and environmental justice, focusing on issues such as housing code violations, rodent infestation, sewage seepage, lead poisoning, and environmental health, including rampant asthma, and the lack of open space in our communities. The Environmental Justice and Housing Project provides legal services for tenants through Make the Road New York's Legal Department, organizes collective tenant action against negligent or abusive landlords, and promotes housing law reform in New York City.

Globe & PRYDE (LGBTQ Justice Project) — Brooklyn and Queens
In addition to supporting and empowering the LGBTQ community in the outer boroughs and providing a safe space, Globe works with schools in Brooklyn and Queens to address the institutional homophobia that drives students to drop out of school. Globe also fights job discrimination against transgender New Yorkers and promotes community awareness and understanding of LGBTQ discrimination and oppression.

Voter Power Project — Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island
Our Voter Power Project is a powerful non-partisan voter registration, education and mobilization program. The Project utilizes highly effective phone banking and door-to-door canvassing techniques by friends and neighbors to increase civic participation in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Woodside, Elmhurst, Corona, Jackson Heights and Sunnyside, Queens and Port Richmond, Staten Island.

Youth Power Project — Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island
Community Organizing is also intrinsic to our youth development work. Over the past nine years, Make the Road New York youth leaders have had a significant impact on citywide policy affecting juvenile justice issues and high school reform. In addition, Youth Power Project members focus on issues closer to home, such as the impact of gentrification and the lack of high school seats for local teens.

Small Business United — Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island
Small Business United is a project to elevate the voices of small business owners from New York's vibrant immigrant neighborhoods. Dozens of small business owners citywide have joined together to advocate for measures that are not just good for the small business, but also the welfare of the employees and the larger community; including paid sick days, affordable health care, and living wages. MRNY also conducts comprehensive assessments of the needs of small businesses in our neighborhoods and helps them access the training and resources they need to be financially stable and viable.