Impact Report January 2020 - December 2021
South Queens Women’s March
Table of Contents 3-6
Our Story, Call to Action & Strategy
7-9
Curbing GenderBased Violence
8-14 Mutual Aid and Community Service 15-16 Youth & Professional Development 17-18 Civic Engagement & Advocacy 19-21 Art as a Catalyst for Social Change 22-23 Testimonials 26
SQWM Featured in the Press
Funding & 27-28 Special Thanks
"We march in resistance to our oppression and in celebration of our resilience."
Letter from Director Dear Community, After I read about the death of Donna Rehanna Dojoy in November 2019, I was shaken. As a survivor of genderbased violence myself, I was tired of seeing yet another fallen sister at the hands of gender-based violence. I had been doing faith-based organizing for a decade in my community, but always felt there was something missing when it came to gender justice. I thought to myself: where were the intentional efforts to meet women and girls in our community where they are, across all of our intersections and identities? What were we proactively doing to address gender-based violence, cultivate gender equity, and smash the patriarchy that is so deep-seated in many of our cultures? How do we do all of this hyper-locally? I contacted some trusted South Queens movers and shakers, all who were already activists and advocates in their own right. Would they join me in organizing the first ever “South Queens Women’s March”? Could that march be resource-rich, with a community fair on our streets and service providers who could respond to local needs for food, housing, childcare, gender-based violence counseling and civil legal services, reproductive care, healthcare and more? We built a team from the ground up. We applied for and secured the permits. We formalized as a registered non-profit in New York State and got our federal 501(c)(3) tax exemption status. We co-created a logo that exemplified our resilience and joy in spite of the struggles we face on a daily basis. We reached out to local non-profit providers, government partners, and more. We planned our march route. We designed the posters we would distribute. And then the pandemic hit. Like countless non-profit and community-based organizations, we had to pivot. We shifted our attention to meet the immediate needs of South Queens’ women, girls and gender fluid people. How were working class families going to put food on the table while out of work for months due to the lockdown? Were items like period supplies going to be removed from the grocery list as women had to cut corners? Who was sending appreciation and PPE to working class folks like grocery workers who were literally ensuring our City had access to food, working on the front lines? How were we as a community going to address the fact that those experiencing gender-based, domestic, and family violence were literally trapped at home with their abusers? Or the breakdown of personal boundaries as students who were remotely learning no longer had the reprieve of their physical classrooms? What about capturing accurate Census data in our already underrepresented and under-resourced community when door-knocking was limited, when it wasn’t prohibited and during a political climate that was forcing undocumented people to be even more in the shadows than before? In our short two years of existence, we have sought to address all of these questions. South Queens Women’s March has become a known name in our community and we are fulfilling our mission to meet women, girls and gender-fluid people in our community where they are; literally on our streets. We have poured our hearts into our work, and that love and community care shows. We started as six women working towards organizing a women’s march, and have grown to an organization with over 60 active members who power our programming on a volunteer basis. We are so excited to share with you our first impact report. This report covers our work from South Queens Women’s March’s inception in 2020, to where we are today, after starting a grassroots movement and surviving a pandemic. Please continue to follow our journey and support us in growing our movement. In Loving Solidarity,
Aminta Kilawan-Narine Founder & Director, South Queens Women’s March
LETTER FROM FOUNDING BOARD MEMBERS Dear Community, As the Founding Board of South Queens Women’s March, we are grateful and excited to be a part of such a powerful movement for gender justice in the South Queens community. We are a group of diverse women from all across South Queens with passions of civic engagement, mutual aid, fighting against gender-based violence, reproductive justice, and economic justice. Our unique backgrounds and identities as Indo-Caribbean, Black, South Asian, queer, and immigrants represents South Queens and inspires us to seek justice for communities who continue to experience various inequities. As a Board, we work together through weekly meetings and discussions about programming, governance, and our visions. We also attend ongoing trainings on leadership and developing effective programming. Aside from our duties as the Board, we serve as Chairs for many of our respective programming, such as professional development, gender-based violence, civic engagement, mutual aid, and art. As we engage with such a powerful movement, we are learning, growing, cultivating new skills, and becoming grassroots organizers ourselves. While we aspire to make an impact in our communities, South Queens Women’s March has made an impact on us: "Since joining, my eyes have been opened to all the ways in which gender issues touch every facet of our lives. My colleagues have taught me to identify the potential gender inequities that we often take for granted. I've also met some inspiring, young activists whose lead I would gladly follow in an effort to address and eradicate gender inequities." - Candace Prince-Modeste "SQWM fills a gap in this community that we have all been yearning for so long. So many separate organizations work in Queens, restricted to their respective cultural and religion-specific audiences. When we first began to cultivate SQWM, I saw it as a beacon of shared goals in this neighborhood. It meant bringing together folks of all different ethnicities and languages towards the common goal of equity and justice." -Harmehar Kaur Kohli "There are many ways SQWM has changed my life, I was given a platform to organize and build community power from within, centering the members we serve and leading through their lens. I am grateful to be part of this movement and excited to continue building, advocating and organizing for our South Queens community alongside my sisters in service." - Nirmala Singh "I was given a platform to develop programming and provide services for my community's needs, such as doing a period supply drive and hosting healthy relationship workshops. SQWM has taught me a alot about feminist grassroots organizing and how to build power within our communities. Importantly, as a survivor, I am on a journey of healing, and the spaces SQWM creates have been so important for me through this journey." -Tannuja Rozario Thank you to our amazing members for making this work possible, and to each and every one of you for your continued support and belief in us! With Profound Gratitude, Candace, Harmehar, Nirmala, and Tannuja
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Our Story OUR MISSION
OUR VISION
Inspired by global and national women’s rights movements, the South Queens Women’s March amplifies the voices of South Queens’ diverse women. We are an allvolunteer multigenerational, intersectional platform, working to foster women’s empowerment through dismantling norms, practices, and institutions that support patriarchy and gender injustice. We are taking our sisterhood to the streets to unify women and gender nonconforming individuals in our community and connect them to the tools and resources necessary to empower their own lives and thrive.
We want to create a world free of violence, injustice, and oppression; a world where all people are on equitable footing, in the home, the workplace, in houses of worship, and in our larger community spaces.
"As a woman of color, it was important for me to have a space where I was adequately represented." - Anjali Seegobin, SQWM member
Our Impact from 2020-2021
60+
Active SQWM Members
112
10,964 Attended or participated in our events
Trained in Mental Health First Aid tailored to survivors and those who support survivors
3200 Period Supply Bags Distributed including tampons and pads to curb period poverty
9
Healing & Wellness Workshops to Promote Self-Care Among Survivors
1500
Gender-based violence guides distributed in targeted street outreach
200+ 52 Registered to vote
Virtual Workshops
Called to Action South Queens Women's March (SQWM) was founded with a mission to bring women in South Queens together to raise awareness about gender-based violence and gender equity issues in the form of mass mobilization on our local streets, celebrating our resilience in spite of the struggles we experience. We were moved to formation after the death of Donna Rehanna Dojoy in November 2019. Donna was brutally murdered by her husband who subsequently committed suicide.
2 Survivorship Means Sustenance We recognized that survivorship that comes as a result of gender-based violence requires sustenance. We also saw and heard of the unmet needs of families in our communities, many whom are immigrants and who live in food deserts or areas where there is a dearth of food pantries and ongoing governmental support.
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Meeting Uncertain Times Due to the pandemic, our immediate goals shifted. We initially set out to be connectors of resources, however we have transformed to become providers of those very resources. We realized that our community, especially its Black and Brown working class, had several pressing needs during this time, such as wellness, food, menstrual supplies, and an end to gender-based violence, which statistics show has increased during the pandemic.
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Cultivating Programming To meet our community needs, we offer five areas of programming: mutual aid (food security, addressing period poverty, safe-sex supplies, community clean ups, and supporting survivors with resources), healthy relationships and addressing gender-based violence, youth and professional development, civic engagement and advocacy, and art.
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Our Strategy To meet our community needs, we offer five areas of programming: mutual aid (food security, addressing period poverty, safe-sex supplies, community clean ups, and supporting survivors with resources), healthy relationships and addressing gender-based violence, youth and professional development, civic engagement and advocacy, and art. Here are some outcomes for select SQWM projects (the below chart is not exhaustive). PROJECTS
DETAILS
Curbing GenderBased Violence and Promoting Healthy Relationships
Art & Healing Workshops; Healthy Relationships Workshops; Street Outreach
1500 gender-based violence resource guides distributed; 300 community members trained in healthy relationships
Pop-up Pantries; Period Supply Drive; Toy, Costume & Coat Drives; Emergency Response
10,964 families served free groceries with PPE; 3200 received period supplies
Virtual skills-based, informational and mentorship workshops
Over 150 participants in mentorship series; 5,627 views of workshops
Mutual Aid & Community Service
Youth & Professional Development
OUTCOME
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CURBING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND PROMOTING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS To address gender-violence and support survivors in 2020, the year of the pandemic, we hosted ten healthy relationships workshops addressing the qualities of a healthy relationship vs. a toxic relationship, how to connect healthily during COVID-19 (including establishing healthy boundaries), how to foster self-love and combat bullying, how to intervene when one witnesses street harassment (in collaboration with Hollaback! and L'oreal Paris), how to have healthy intimate/sexual relationships (in collaboration with Babeland Toys), and self-defense (in collaboration with the Center for Anti-Violence Education). Additionally, recognizing the power of art to cope with trauma from gender-based violence, we hosted four in-person, socially-distanced arts as healing nights for survivors of gender-based violence, while simultaneously supporting a local woman-owned fitness studio that has had to shutter during COVID. Hundreds of community members were in attendance for these workshops. We also certified over 100 community members in Mental Health First Aid offered by Thrive NYC as one of our first programs in 2020 and then again in 2021 courtesy of the Kate Spade Foundation. In 2021, South Queens Women’s March provided many programming, educational resources, and healing spaces to combat gender-based violence. First, survivors of gender-based violence do not have access to reproductive health services and resources. To bridge this gap, we offered a workshop on birth control, and we will continue to host reproductive health workshops.
During the year of 2021, we realized that survivors needed spaces to heal and practice self-care. We hosted several workshops, such as a poetry healing night and pumpkin carving healing night. As part of survivors’ healing journey, we also focused on story sharing and building awareness about gender-based violence in our community. Survivors of gender-based violence participated in several chalk back against gender-based violence by sharing their stories and experiences as they chalk up the streets in our community. In the absence of equitable access to mental health resources, faith leaders are often asked to respond to intimate partner violence. However, faith leaders in South Queens have repeatedly voiced that they are ill-equipped with the tools necessary to be advocates for change. Moreover, Scripture has too often been used to facilitate patriarchy in our communities as opposed to dismantling it. In 2020, South Queens Women's March released our Interfaith Toolkit Against Gender-Based Violence to provide faith leaders with the resources they need. 7
According to the Mayor’s Office to End GBV 2020 annual fatality report, the borough of Queens was found to have the second highest number and rate of intimate partner homicides, only after the Bronx. Our organization is based in Queens, and we have supported hundreds of survivors of gender-based violence with resources and healing since our inception. The emotional and physical trauma of survivors has an immense impact on their lives. We realized there was a gap in the resources in our communities. After survivors' experiences of gender-based violence, there was little or no support to cope with their trauma. Our programming serves to fill this gap.
8 workshops on wellness and self-defense mechanisms
6
in person art/healing workshops
Our approach to contribute to survivors' healing involves: in-person and virtual art as healing workshops; reflective writing, storytelling and poetry workshops; healthy relationship and safety planning workshops; community-based advocacy and street outreach; and immersive experiencing such as culturally responsive dancing including bhangra, soca and Bollywood. 8
“Alleviating women’s poverty is a critical feminist issue. Yet when we talk about hunger and food insecurity, we rarely talk about it in these terms. Why? Because in many mainstream feminist circles, the people talking about these issues don’t know what it is to be food-insecure in the long term. Things like food stamp challenges, where someone lives on a budget similar to that of someone living on food stamps for a week or a month, make good stunts, but they don’t influence public policy. If anything, people who engage in those stunts are more likely to pat themselves on the back for making it through and perhaps donate to their local food bank, and then forget the problem exists.”
- Mikki Kendall, Hood Feminism
MUTUAL AID: FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY AND PERIOD POVERTY SQWM’s mutual aid work was built on the premise of addressing the communities needs on a consistent basis and responding directly to it in a culturally sensitive way. We are members of the community gathering together for the community in a mutually beneficial way. Since our conception we have been able to provide relief to the community through coat drives, pantries, and resource relief after tragedies such as the Richmond Hill fire in December 2020. Our drives have been ingrained in our organization’s planning since the beginning. These efforts offer a way for community members to pool their resources and give back to other members who may be struggling at the time. It also offers a sustainable way to repurpose items that otherwise are wasted. The pandemic greatly affected nonprofit planning around Queens and left families that relied on coat drives at a loss for where to go. We were able to collect and distribute coats for all age groups, genders, and styles across 3 boroughs of NYC. Since then we have also conducted toy drives, Halloween costume drives, and culturally sensitive clothing drives. Many times, women in families that are experiencing hardship are forced to prioritize the needs of their family before being able to enjoy new beautiful things. Our clothing drives allow them to get the joy that they deserve and be able to experience their children’s excitement when they receive a new toy without the constant financial burden they have to sift through. Our membership base made it possible for us to quickly and efficiently address family needs when they arise. When the Richmond Hill family devastated families in our neighborhood, we were able to pool resources and provide clothes, coats, cleaning supplies, food, school supplies, and more to the families within the days following the fire. We were able to offer immediate solace to families who had lost so much overnight. One of our longest running projects has been with the community fridges located all around South Queens. Community fridges offer families a way to get the groceries they need in a direct, quick, and continuous way. We have been able to continue stocking and cleaning the fridges on a weekly basis, helping the community keep alive these very important resources. We are able to directly support families on a weekly basis by providing nutritious, healthy, free grocery options. We have also consistently held street clean ups in various locations around Queens to support our community in preserving the beautiful streets that raised us. Coming together and helping beautify our neighborhoods has created long lasting relationships with community members that live around the borough.
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10
250 community fridge restocks in South Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Far Rockaway and Laurelton
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Liberty Avenue, South Richmond Hill
Roy Wilkins Park, Laurelton
Church of Latter Day Saints, Jamaica
Sikh Cultural Society, Richmond Hill
Re/Max 2000, Ozone Park
Liberty Plaza, Ozone Park
The Figure Studio, South Ozone Park
Second Chance Church, Sutphin Blvd.
3200
10K+
Period Supply Bags Distributed
Families served culturally responsive groceries and essentials
SPOTLIGHT ON SQWM FOOD PANTRIES & ESSENTIAL DISTRIBUTIONS South Queens Women’s March recognizes that, ideally, pop-up pantries should not be fixtures in a community but also face the sobering reality that with food shortages and insecurity, the needs we seek to fill existed before the pandemic and will continue far beyond. Historically, governmentfunded pantries in the South Queens area have seen a lack of cultural competency, despite the fact that there are many from various backgrounds in South Queens who have lived there for decades. Many community members that SQWM serves are undocumented and justifiably reticent to accept government services, however because SQWM’s events are run for community and operated by community, the organization has built up a sense of trust among recipients. SQWM has hosted monthly giveaways in the underserved minority communities of South Richmond Hill, South Jamaica, St. Albans, Laurelton, and South Ozone Park. Each of SQWM’s giveaways serves 200 families groceries and other essentials (PPE, menstrual supplies and safe sex products). Regarding period poverty, as low-income and working class individuals and families face increased economic difficulties, period supplies can be among the first items eliminated to cut corners. These basic necessities become optional. To promote recreation and literacy SQWM has offered free books and toys. At all of SQWM’s giveaways, the organization provides add-ons of culturally responsive foods, fresh produce and staple root vegetables. 13
King Manor Museum, Jamaica. Photo by Laila Stevens
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YOUTH & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT To address the inequities and unfair distribution of resources for youths and community members, primarily Black and Brown women in the South Queens Community, we hosted a series of workshops in 2020, primarily focused on bridging the equity gap. Our workshops featured an inaugural week-long Youth Mentorship series as we recognized networking opportunities were limited for students and community members during the pandemic. This series was wellattended as we hosted over 150 participants during the course of the week, who had the opportunity to listen and network with professionals and students from various industries selected based on a community-wide survey to mentor and support people who are entering the job market. We also quickly realized the lack of educational support our students received as SQWM began receiving direct questions from our community members about the college process. We launched our College Prep Series during September of last year, which runs through the academic year, each month focusing on a different topic. We started off with College Applications 101, continued with College Financing 101, How to Prepare for Your First Year of College etc. During these workshops, we enlisted the expertise of college admissions and high school counselors to support our students and their immigrant families while they navigated the complex process of colleges.
5,627 views of our youth and professional development workshops
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At SQWM, we center survivors. One of the leading causes of gender-based violence is economic dependence on perpetrators and abusers. As a result, we create a series of workshops directly for women and gender nonconforming people impacted by the pandemic and GBV. Our Personal Finance 101 series outlined and provided resources on becoming financially independent, building a credit score, savings account and more. We also hosted a Resume Revamp, LinkedIn and Personal Branding and virtual interviewing workshops to help community members enter/re-enter the job world. We also continuously share resources through our social media outlets for students and community members. We will continue to use our movement and organization to bridge the equity gap and ensure survivors and our community members get the resources they deserve.
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PROMOTING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND BUILDING POLITICAL POWER South Queens has historically seen low voter turnout in elections down the ballot as well as poor rates of Census completion. South Queens Women’s March’s civic engagement programming encourages the South Queens community to become active participants in the decision-making processes taking place all around them. Our work has centered on empowering traditionally marginalized communities to change what's wrong in their neighborhoods. To achieve those changes, we've utilized various methods: hosting several Candidates' Forums to introduce program participants to elected and prospective elected leaders, educating our community on the voting process with our Voting 101 workshop and social media graphics, performing Census outreach at houses of worship, parks and major thoroughfares to increase Census participation, conducting stand-alone voter registration drives or incorporating voter registration in other SQWM events, and advocating for a commonsense redistricting process that will keep communities of interest in South Queens whole by co-sponsoring a Redistricting 101 Forum and testifying at an Independent Redistricting Commission hearing.
ADVOCACY South Queens Women's March has participated in various advocacy efforts over the last two years in the form of organizing and attending rallies and street actions, testifying before governmental stakeholders, moderating and speaking on various panel discussions, and co-organizing community events such as the first ever redistricting town hall in the Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park neighborhoods of South Queens.
Some major highlights of our advocacy efforts in 2020-2021: SQWM organized a sign-holding event in October 2020 to draw attention to how women's rights were marginalized under the former presidential administration. Our leaders spoke at various rallies and press conferences in advocacy of additional COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites accessible to South Queens' residents. Our leaders and members spoke at street actions against gender-based violence in Trinidad and Bangladesh, both countries with diasporas in South Queens. SQWM organized a rally in support of reproductive justice in October 2021 alongside hundreds of actions in support of abortion access. Our members spoke before governmental entities like the Racial Justice Commission in support of Black and Brown rights locally.
Community Art South Queens Women's March launches "Made in Queens"
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BIPOC Queens-artists
4
month duration
2%
Readers appreciate accurate information
100 in-person attendees at our opening night
34 volunteers
On Saturday, May 15, 2021, South Queens Women’s March (SQWM) held its opening night of its inaugural art exhibition Made in Queens in Jamaica, Queens. The exhibit was installed at King Manor Museum at 150-03 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11432 (located inside Rufus King Park) and ran through September 15. The event was attended by local elected officials including Assembly Member Khaleel Anderson and representatives of Council Member Adrienne Adams, featured artists, communitybased leaders and organizations, and South Queens Women’s March supporters and members. Artists were presented with citations from Mayor Bill de Blasio in recognition of their contributions to New York City’s cultural and arts landscape. The opening night was sponsored by The Nest Restaurant and Bar and Mr. Wonton Queens, High Profile Sounds and Events and Renee K Productions. Made in Queens was SQWM’s attempt to decolonize the art that we consume. We hosted this exhibit to highlight local BIPOC artists “representing the REAL Queens, New York.” For a long time, those with access, means and money have determined what is valuable in our society, especially when it comes to art. The least represented groups in the art world are BIPOC, and more specifically, are women of color and gender expansive people. For too long, access has been cost-prohibitive and not reflective of our actual communities. SQWM made it a point to use art as a catalyst for social and political change, and as part of healing in our work to curb gender-based violence. Our team worked tirelessly to bring this offering to our beloved Queens. The exhibit featured the works of Veli V, Kerry Cox, Amy Simon, Seema Shakti, Amelia Inderjeit, Farhana Akther, Movina Seepersaud, Kim David, Juliet James, Angela Miskis, Maria Liebana, Shristi Sookram, Sherese Francis and Giancarlo Vargas. The exhibit was curated by SQWM founding member Fatima Shabbir. The exhibition was made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. 20
Photos by Renee K. Productions
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TESTIMONIALS
FROM OUR MEMBERS "SQWM allowed me to explore advocacy work and empower not just myself but also my community. I no longer feel like I have to sit back and wait for someone else to take charge and lead. I have the power and an army of women supporting me every step of the way.” - Anusuya Singh “Especially during the pandemic, where it is easy to get discouraged and even a little lonely, I found myself amongst a beautiful community within the SQWM membership, made up of intelligent and caring individuals who continue to share ideas and resources to help our neighbors as well as each other. I’ve even found a handful of amazing new friends too. Becoming a SQWM member has had a very positive influence on my life, and for that I am very grateful.” - Catherine Vozikis "SQWM has impacted my life by providing an opportunity for me to reconnect with my community and to connect with amazingly dedicated, passionate, and creative individuals who are committed to working towards equity. Not only have I learned more about the community organizing landscape of South Queens, but I have also been able to directly participate in initiatives to address the inequities impacting our community. SQWM has impacted me by reminding me that everyone has the capacity to engage in efforts for social change. We all have unique skills, knowledge, and connections that we can utilize to impact the communities around us positively. I am so grateful and proud to be part of an organization like SQWM!” - Fayola Fair
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TESTIMONIALS
“Being able to actually see how our efforts affect our community and those in need has been such a blessing. The first time it hit me was from a conversation I had with a community member during my first distribution, from the same city my family was from in Trinidad. I was thanked for the hard work we were doing and began to discuss how we need to be sticking together and supporting one another as a people, especially within the Caribbean community. Due to SQWM, I have found myself more comfortable having tough conversations, taking time for self-care and mental health, being more aware of areas of improvement in my community, driving for ways to reach our community related to youth and professional development and so on. I am truly excited for what the future holds for this organization and myself.” - Nicole Cobham
“I joined SQWM because it is an intersectional, multigenerational movement that is absolutely necessary within our communities, where conversations about gender justice and womxn’s empowerment often go overlooked and unheard. The SQWM team has worked diligently to create spaces and movements to dismantle the norms, practices, and institutions that support patriarchy and gender injustice through a multicultural lens. I am constantly in awe of how quickly the movement has grown to respond to various community challenges, such as food insecurity, public health inequities, civic engagement, and period poverty. Joining SQWM has allowed me to reconnect with my community and assume an active role in responding to its needs.” - Sumi Dey “SQWM has helped me reconnect to my community again. Being a part of a support system for at-risk families while building our community’s backbone during a pandemic has been a selfless experience. My mother, who passed away last year, was extremely involved in education, community service, and civic engagement, and she has always been my role model. Being a part of SQWM allows me to feel that I am continuing her work in our community and be a voice to the unheard and an advocate for change. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for us.” - Theresa Deepan
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SQWM IN THE PRESS Since our inception, South Queens Women's March's work has been featured in many media publications, including the following: Brown Girl Magazine Carib News Caribbean Life Gothamist New York Times Queens Chronicle Queens Daily Eagle Queens Ledger QNS.com Stabroek News The City The Washington Post
FUNDING In our first fiscal year, which coincides with the calendar year 2020, SQWM was the recipient of the following grants:
Citizens Committee for NYC All In Neighborhood Grant: This grant was used to support our COVID-relief food insecurity and period poverty efforts (including culturally responsive food items and supplies for our distributions). Sociologists for Women in Society: Social Actions Initiatives Award: This grant was used to support speaker honorariums for our healthy relationships workshop series. In Fiscal Year 2020, we also raised funds through individual donations to our Period Supply Drive, held virtually on Chuffed, and our Giving Tuesday online fundraiser. In our second fiscal year, which coincides with the calendar year 2021, SQWM was the recipient of grants from the following foundations and institutions:
New York Foundation: To cover general operating expenses including venue rentals, supplies, printing costs including our gender-based violence and toxic masculinity resource guides, and to compensate our first part-time consultant. Asian American Federation: To promote our civic engagement work including voter education materials such as our voter awareness brochures and magnets. Democracy NYC: To promote our civic engagement work including voter education materials and to support our redistricting town hall costs. Signature Bank: To purchase backpacks for our back to school essential distribution. New York Community Trust: To support our general operating costs. Queens Council for the Arts: To power our Made in Queens exhibit, including costs of installation, our opening reception, and honorariums for each artist. Annabelle Foundation: To support materials for our arts as healing workshops. Taranng Dance Troupe: To support our essential distributions and food pantries. In-Kind Donations South Queens Women’s March is able to do our work with the support of in-kind donations from many generous people, organizations and small businesses across New York City. These in-kind donations range from non-perishable grocery bags filled with rice, beans, milk, and pasta, to food items such as halal chicken, plait bread, flour, cooking oil and culturally-responsive snacks, to PPE including face masks and hand sanitizers, to covering the cost of venues, to BIPOC-authored books, to food and decor for our in-person events and for our volunteers, to videography and photography efforts to capture our memories and so much more. 27
With Gratitude This is not an exhaustive list of our donors but we wanted to give special recognition to the following organizations, community and governmental partners, businesses, artists, and foundations for their unfledging support of our work.
Organizations
NAACP Jamaica Branch National Council For Mental Well Being New American Voters Association APA Voice NY NY Birth Control Access Project Arab-American Family Support Center Our Reproductive Rights Community Asian American Federation Queens Council on the Arts Asian American Legal Defense Fund Queens Defenders Babeland Queens Economic Development Corporation Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress Queens Liberation Project Black Women's Blueprint Queens Museum & Queens Teens Black Women's Political Club Queens Mutual Aid Blaque Resource Network Reading For Black Lives Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens Repro Journey Brothers Reach Out Support Group Richmond Hill Economic Development Council Brown Girl Revolt Richmond Hill South Ozone Leos Club Caribbean Equality Project RISE Rockaway Center for Progressive Security Rockaway Youth Task Force Chhaya CDC Safe Horizon CONNECT NYC Sakhi for South Asian Women Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM) Sigma Kappa Zeta DSP NYC Alumni Chapter Singh Family Charity Far Rock Greek Council Inc. Sis & Non-Cis Femstrate South Asian Council for Social Services Generation Vote South Asian Youth Action! Guyanese Girls Rock Southside Action Pact Hollaback! SQPA Beacon Community Center Humanity in Action Taking Our Seat Info-Caribbean Alliance Inc Taranng Dance Troupe iRock Charities The Breadfruit Collective Jahajee Sisters The Brown Gyal Diary Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning The Campaign Against Hunger with special John Adams National Honor Society thanks to Annie Mohan Kaurageous Love The Legal Aid Society King Manor Museum with special thanks to The Period Movement Kelsey Brow and Roy Fox The White Lotus Collective League of Women Voters Townsend Harris High School Period Poverty Club Manavi: For South Asian Women Turning Point for NY MinKwon Center for Community Action Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc Mujeristas Collective
Mutual Aid Network of SEQ and the Rockaways
Foundations & Institutions Annabelle Foundation Citizens Committee for NYC Kate Spade Foundation New York Community Trust Sociologists for Women in Society The New York Foundation Zakat Foundation of America
Government Democracy NYC Mayor's Community Affairs Unit with special thanks to Rohan Narine Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs with special thanks to Nick Gulotta and AJ Yusuf Mayor's Office to End Gender-Based and Domestic Violence with special thanks to Susan Jacob NYC Census with special thanks to Julie Kim and Tirtho Dutta NYC Commission on Human Rights with special thanks to Kajori Chaudhuri and Sania Ahmed NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer with special thanks to Aliya Latif NYC Council Member Adrienne Adams with special thanks to Kate Mooney and Tyrell Hankerson NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services NYC Department of Cultural Affairs NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene with special thanks to Yannoh Jalloh NYC Health + Hospitals with special thanks to Theresa Doherty of NYC Test & Trace Corps NYS Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman with special thanks to Tunisia Morrison NYS Assembly Member Khaleel Anderson with special thanks to Karl Valere and Monet Schultz NYS Senator James Sanders Jr. with special thanks to Marvin Holland and Paula Jones NYS Senator Leroy Comrie Richard David, District Leader, AD 31 Queens Public Library Rank the Vote NYC US Census Bureau
Businesses
Bakewell Bakery Bedesse Imports Bimbo Bakery with special thanks to Matthew Green and Vasanti Singh Bruk Out Media Cakes by Sherry Caribican's Catering Dave's BBQ Elegant Floral Design Emblem Health Filzas Medical Care PC Food Emporium Howard Beach Grand Care Pharmacy Guyana Choice Bakery High Profile Sounds and Events KPMG Lam's Chow Mein Leeanna Hariprashad Mangal's Spice Grill Metro Plus Health Mia's Treats NYC Momo's Mediterranean Mr. Wonton Queens Mum's Kitchens Ogunwale Financial LLC Padmini Bertsch of Keller Williams Power and Peace Yoga Regency Party Hall II Riyaad Khan of Allstate Insurance Royal India Palace Ryan's Courier Service Shanti Ammar / Remax 2000 She's From Queens Shiv <3 Raj Sweets and Savories Signature Bank Singh Family Market Singh's Roti Shop Sugarbear Hair Collection The Figure Studio The Food Goddess The Nest Restaurant and Bar The World is Rich Triniciti Roti Shop Tropical Isle Roti Shop When Beauty Xtreme Sound Productionz
Faith-Based Organizations & Institutions Baba Makhan Shah Lobhana Bharati Foundation Faith Assembly ISKCON NYC MUNA Social Services Muslims for Progressive Values Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus Second Chance Church Shaanti Bhavan Mandir Shakti Mission Shri Devi Arts Shri Shakti Mariammaa Temple Sikh Cultural Society The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints The Interfaith Center of New York Trinity United Methodist Church Ummah Giving Circle United Madrassi Association
Artists
Amelia Inderjeit Amy Simon Angela Miskis Farhana Akhter Giancarlo Vargas Juliet James Kerry Cox Kim David Maria Liebana Movina Seepersaud Seema Shakti Sherese Francis Shristi Sookram Umila Singh Veli V with special thanks to Fatima Shabbir for her curatorial vision and artistry
Our gratitude also extends to the countless individuals and families of South Queens whose belief in our work sustains us through your kindness and generosity.
WE THANK YOU
FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT IN
OUR PROGRAMS