As you may know, I’ve been an active supporter of New York Communities for Change (NYCC), a grass roots community group that organizes low and moderate income families. You may have heard of NYCC’s Fast Food Forward campaign that helped launch a movement of fast food workers in over 40 cities nationwide fighting for higher pay.

Whether through city-wide and state-wide campaigns or through their neighborhood chapters in communities throughout New York City and Long Island, NYCC members are leading the fight on some of the most important issues facing New Yorkers — like workplace justice, affordable housing, good public schools and ending Stop and Frisk.

That’s why I’m proud to be a “Friend of NYCC” who’s committed to enabling NYCC members to become a powerful force fighting for working families throughout New York. NYCC is holding its annual fundraising gala on December 3rd where we’ll celebrate the past year’s victories and the work to come. If you want to see more victories like the ones listed above, I hope you’ll join me by purchasing a ticket to the NYCC annual gala or by becoming a friend of NYCC (Friends of NYCC who commit to a monthly contribution of $25/month or more will receive a complementary ticket to the NYCC Gala.)

In just the last few months, NYCC members won a new shortened timeline for the removal of toxic PCB lights from all NYC public schools, joined the fight to keep Long Island Community Hospital and Interfaith Medical Center open for care, and prevented low income victims of Superstorm Sandy from being kicked out in the streets before they could make arrangements to move into affordable housing.

But despite NYCC’s success, true progressive change in this city requires more work. For the first time in decades, New Yorkers have the opportunity to elect a true progressive, Bill de Blasio, to the Mayor’s Office, but in order to make the most of it, our city needs groups like NYCC mobilizing around the real issues that affect working families in NYC. And outside of the city, with some real movement-building, there’s a real opportunity to make the 2014 state elections a referendum on Albany’s broken politics.

NYCC relies on grassroots funding to do some of the most exciting and innovative social justice work in New York State.
Will you join me in the movement and become a Friend of NYCC? For more information and to sign up, see our page here.