Author Archives: Info@greaternycforchange.org

Money for Schools

money for schools

It’s about fairness–and futures.  

In a recent open letter to Governor Cuomo, seven illustrious New York State Teachers of the Year urged him to look beyond test scores to see why students fail in school. Beyond the “achievement gap,” they noted, is “an income gap, a health-care gap, a housing gap, a family gap and a safety gap, just to name a few.”
The problem is poverty–and its root cause is the failure to allocate resources in communities that most need them. Today, New York State  has the most economically and racially segregated classrooms in the nation. Unless we change the way our money is spent, we’ll continue on the same path.
Money matters for educational outcomes. A study released this week by the Alliance for Quality Education and the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York shows that New York City’s public schools are owed $2.5 billion in funding, or $2,667 per student. That’s huge. That’s smaller classroom sizes, libraries, art programs, special learning programs, safer and more secure spaces. Above all, it’s the future of kids.

The educational needs of our state’s and city’s students will be determined by the budget decided in Albany this March 31st.

We urge you to demand that the governor fully and fairly fund our public schools. #WeCan’tWait. Our kids’ futures can’t wait. At stake are the multiple gaps that begin and end in poverty.
Get engaged. Read the report. Join the campaign. Petition the governor. And join the Moral Mondays commitment to fairness in education.

Remember: The budget is a moral document.

 

Igniting Moral Mondays 2015

moral_mondays

It’s a moral thing.

It’s a moral issue to look after others, provide a strong education and a viable future for all children, ensure equal justice for communities of color, and, not least, look after our planet and its most vulnerable inhabitants. That’s why Greater NYC for Change has joined #MoralMondaysNY, following the social justice movement the Rev. Dr. William Barber II ignited in North Carolina.

Last month, we were in Albany with a thousand advocates to demand that New York fully fund its educational system, reducing disparities that make our state’s classrooms the most economically and racially segregated in the nation.

Last Monday, we stood in front of the governor’s New York City office to deliver a response to his State of the State, urging him to see the budget as the moral document it is.

This Monday, we’ll be in Grand Central Station, allied in commemorating the six-month anniversary of the death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, MO. We’ll use this solemn occasion to continue our demands for justice, including reforms to policing and the criminal justice system.

If you can’t be in Midtown this Monday evening, you can still help build the movement with others in The Bronx, Albany, or elsewhere. We’ll be meeting on Mondays wherever and as long as there’s the moral need.

Here are events for Monday, February 9th:

6 MONTHS LATER–BLACK LIVES STILL MATTER:

7 pm, Grand Central Terminal (entrance at 89 E. 42nd Street, Manhattan). Hosted by Grand Central Crew Black Lives Matter. RSVP and info here.

#WECANTBREATHE2015–ALL OUT FOR LOW-WAGE WORKERS–OCCUPY LIBERATO: 

4 pm, 183rd Street and Jerome Avenue, Bronx. Hosted by OWS S17 2015 and Occu-Evolve. RSVP and info here.

WE ARE ONE NEW YORK–MORAL MONDAYS IN ALBANY: 

12 pm, War Room in the NYS Capitol Building, Albany. Join faith, labor and community groups to highlight the important contributions of immigrants and demand passage of the NY DREAM Act. Hosted by Faith for a Fair New York, Make the Road-NY, and others. RSVP and info here.

Global Divestment Day

And, on February 13th, Global Divestment Day, our planet needs us!
After our incredible panel discussion on Tuesday, February 3rd, we’re primed to join in urging academic endowments, religious institutions, and government pension funds to divest from investments in fossil fuels, and consider whether it’s moral (or even financially wise) when the future of our planet is at stake. Global Divestment Day will stage events on campuses and in institutions worldwide; we’ll be part of New York City’s central event, located in Manhattan’s financial district.
GLOBAL DIVESTMENT DAY NYC: February 13th, 12:30 to 1:30 pm, Broad Street and Exchange Place, Manhattan. Sponsored by 350NYC. Info and RSVP at Facebook AND on 350.org’s website.

Taking Action: Climate Change

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Learn what we can do.

Serious people know what we’re in for if we don’t take global action to reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere and stop burning fossil fuels. The destructive impacts of climate change are already threatening New York City–especially incommunities with the least resources.

What action can we take on a local level to counter this urgent problem?
In his first year, Mayor De Blasio has already laid out an ambitious sustainable energy plan, One City, Built to Last, that can have a major impact on New Yorkers by helping reduce carbon emissions an anticipated 80% by 2050. In tandem, many New Yorkers have joined the global divestment movement encouraging institutional investors to shift away from big fossil and into the sustainable energy sector. This financial strategy may play a key role in supporting the types of projects the Mayor endorses.

We’ll examine the Mayor’s plan, look at strategies of pension fund divestment, discuss how we can help at a local level to build a sustainable city, and brainstorm effective actions.

This event is a lead-up to the Global Divestment Day on February 13th.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3RD, 6:30 PM

ST. JOHN’S CHURCH MEETING ROOM, 81 CHRISTOPHER ST.
Sponsored by Greater NYC for Change with 350NYC, Manhattan Young Democrats, United for Action, and Village Independent Democrats.

Space is limited. RSVP on Facebook or to dale.corvino@gmail.com

Updates January 2015

 

Take a look at these announcements of city-wide activities and resources. Please, don’t forget to spread the word.

Moral Mondays

The next Moral Mondays NYC, a People’s Response to the Governor’s State of the State Address, is scheduled for Monday, January 26th from 4:30 to 6 pm at the Adam Clayton Powell Building on West 125th Street. Check it out here.

Join Citizen Action In Demanding Justice

Americans from coast to coast have lost faith in the criminal justice system. Staten Island DA Dan Donovan failed to bring even a single charge against the officer who killed Eric Garner. Now, Donovan is trying to stop NYC Public Advocate Letitia James from unsealing the transcript of the case. New Yorkers deserve to know what happened in that courtroom. Sign the petition demanding Staten Island DA Dan Donovan release the transcript.

Tax Relief And Help For Working Families

Find out if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit and the NYC Child Care Tax Credit. You could be entitled to a refund of up to $10,000. More info (including FREE volunteer tax-preparation assistance) here.

Get Active in 2015

MLK Jr GNYCfC Get Active

Let’s kick-off a year of activism!

A week into the new year and our calendars are already filling up with great, progressive events all over the state. Below you’ll find a listing of some events that should interest you.

First up is an event organized with the always-inspiring Reverend William Barber as part of the Moral Mondays movement. Moral Mondays began in North Carolina and are expanding all over the nation as a social justice movement. Greater NYC for Change is proud to support this incredibly worthy campaign in New York.

And SAVE THE DATE! On Thursday, January 29th, Greater NYC for Change will be celebrating the new year with a Manhattan happy hour. Details to come, but mark your calendars – it’s going to be a blast!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday, January 12th
Moral Monday with Rev. William Barber to Fight for Fairness in Education
Buses depart from Brooklyn and Manhattan starting at 6:45 am.
Million Dollar Staircase, State Capitol Building, Albany. 
Join Rev. Barber, the powerful voice leading Moral Mondays in North Carolina, and thousands of parents, students, workers, and clergy to take back our democracy! Information on transportation to and from Albany here. 

Monday, January 19th (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
#DREAM4JUSTICE March
Noon
110th Street and Lenox Avenue, NYC.
We’ll march alongside the families of victims of injustice and our elders, youth, activists, students, and clergy to #DREAM4JUSTICE in 2015! Will you join us? RSVP here.

Tuesday, January 20th
Injustice: It’s Not Just Us
7-9pm
National Black Theater, 2031 5th Avenue (125th St), NYC.
Join the Manhattan Young Democrats for a nonpartisan panel event that aims to address the administration of fair and equal justice. Following the recent events in Ferguson and Staten Island, we’ll provide an opportunity to learn about what we can do to tackle racial injustice from experts in politics and social and criminal justice. RSVP. 

Wednesday, January 21st
State of the State Demonstration for Transgender Rights
1pm
State Capital (The Egg), Albany.
The Long Island Transgender Advocacy Coalition (LITAC) is organizing a demonstration in support of transgender civil rights before and after Governor Cuomo’s “State of the State” Address. We believe this is the first GENDA-specific demonstration organized by a transgender-led advocacy group to be held at the Capital. More information here.