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CONTACT: Sally Lee
(212) 201-2289
slee@unionsquareawards.org

NEW YORK CITY ACTIVISTS WIN $950,000 IN AWARDS
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UNION SQUARE AWARDS PROGRAM RECOGNIZES 43 COMMUNITY LEADERS AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS
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November 9, 2004

Nineteen grassroots community organizations represented by forty-three New Yorkers will be awarded close to $1 million from the Union Square Awards Program. These community leaders work tirelessly on issues otherwise overlooked, neglected and inadequately addressed. “Facing the dire circumstances for so many in our city, grassroots organizers take action to unite underserved communities, demand attention and get results. With minimal resources, they make extraordinary contributions to the educational, economic and cultural life of New York,” says Iris Morales, the director of the Union Square Awards Program.

The awards will be presented at a special ceremony on November 19th. Each award carries $50,000, bringing the total amount granted by the Union Square Awards to $6.35 million since 1998. The program realizes an anonymous donor’s dream to honor New Yorkers who show exceptional commitment to bettering lives and supporting organizations that have not received either substantial funding or public accolade. New Yorkers have organized and raised awareness about the social issues of their time at Union Square Park since the 19th century, and the awards were named for this historic site.

The Union Square Awards is a project of the Tides Center funded by the Union Square Fund, Inc. For 25 years, the Tides Center has provided services to nonprofit programs across the United States and is a member of the Tides family of organizations liked by a common mission—to actively promote change toward a healthy society—one founded on principles of social justice, equal economic opportunity, a robust democratic process and environmental sustainability.

The following is a list of the founders and organizations being honored for their work. For more
information about the winners, click here

BRONX

• Bonaventure Ezekwenna, Founder, Africans in America (AIA), a community organization dedicated to ending African slavery in the United States. It raises public awareness about human trafficking and provides social services for victims.
  
  
• Marlee Ford, Temitope Theresa Kuyoro, Tanesha Ingram, Jahra Lara & Jasmine Uribe, Co-Founders, Bronx PRYDE (Promoting Revolutionary Youth Development and Empowerment), a youth organization that prepares community leaders through training and community organizing.
  
  
• Fernando “Ponce” Laspina & Juan Laporte, Co-Founders, United Trainers and Boxers Association of New York, Inc. (UTBA), a community center dedicated to improving the quality of life in the South Bronx through sports, cultural and educational programs.

BROOKLYN

• Kristian Bello, Hermon Getachew, Nilda Laguer & Lionel Ouellete, Co-Founders, Urban Mana, an East Brooklyn community organizing and resource center addressing socio-economic inequalities by developing grassroots leadership to build long-term community solutions.
  
  
• Ilana Berger, Nitza Nieves, Rosa Rodriguez & Brenda Stewart, Co-Founders, Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE), a multi-racial, women-led membership organization uniting low-income people around economic justice issues.
  
  
• Phillip Hogan, Founder, Housing Matters of New York (HMNY), a supportive male-only housing facility for formerly incarcerated substance abusers who may also be living with HIV or AIDS. It provides housing and social services that support re-entry to the community.
  
  
• Bisi Iderabdullah, Founder, Imani House, Inc., a community-based organization dedicated “to improving the quality of life of low-income youth, families and immigrants.” It runs food distribution, adult literacy, youth and other programs for the South Brooklyn community.
  
  
• Oneza Lafontant, Founder, Kongo, a group of artists, musicians and activists dedicated to promoting a better understanding of Afro-Haitian music, culture and history and supporting community projects.
  
  
• Dr. Gabriel Rincon, Founder, Mixteca Organization, Inc., a community-based organization serving the Mexican and Latino immigrant population in New York City with health and education programs.
  

MANHATTAN

• Linda Abad & Amanda Vender, Co-Founders, Damayan, an organization promoting the rights and welfare of Filipino/a migrant workers, particularly domestic workers.
  

• Joseph DeFilippis, Founder, Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ), a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender peoples’ organization educating the public about queer poverty and advocating for inclusive and humane social policies.
  
  
• Wahba I. Ghaly, Founder, Middle East Natives, Testing, Orientation and Referral Services (MENTORS), an organization increasing HIV/AIDS awareness and promoting “sexuality education and other human rights aspects for the Middle Eastern community in New York.”
  
  
• Subhash Kateel, Maria Muentes, Nina Shahani & Aarti Shahani, Co-Founders, Families for Freedom (FFF), an organizing center providing support to immigrant communities affected by detention and deportation and organizing for immigrant rights.
  
  
• Luis Manuel Tejada, Pedro Reyes, Margarita Reyes & Dario Abreu, Co-Founders, Mirabal Sisters Cultural and Community Center, Inc., an organization committed to the well-being and development of families residing in Washington Heights.
  
  
• Lillian Thiemann, Hilda Melore, Kimberleigh Smith & M. Saidia McLaughlin, Co-Founders, Women’s HIV Collaborative of New York, a broad-based coalition dedicated to addressing the full range of HIV issues affecting women.
  

QUEENS

• Indira Kajosevic & Ivo Skoric, Co-Founders, Reconciliation and Culture Cooperative Network, Inc. (RACCOON), a community center for Balkan émigrés that fosters reconciliation and provides social services.
  
  
• Bryan Pu-Folkes, Co-Founder, New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), a cross-cultural organization using advocacy and public education to ensure that new immigrants are active, informed and influential in civic, government and public affairs.
  
  
• Miguel Ramirez, Eduardo Barahona & Lorena Armas, Co-Founders, Centro Hispano “Cuzcatlan” (CHC), an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of the Central and South American community in Jamaica, Queens through community organizing and civic action.
  

STATEN ISLAND

• Folasade Campbell, Founder and Executive Director, Concerned Citizens for Family Preservation (CCFP), an organization that addresses the needs of families who have involuntarily been placed in the child welfare and family court system and seeks to spark systemic reform.

For additional information, contact: Sally Lee, tel: (212) 201-2289, e-mail: slee@unionsquareawards.org