Long Island: Coming to the Table

Long Island is home to many advocacy groups fighting for a better world – and it is one of the most segregated and unequal regions in the country. How did we get here, and what can we do about it? In this series, participants explored the nuts and bolts of doing legislative and budget advocacy at the state level, how to get ready for 2021, the policy choices that have led to structural inequalities in Long Island, and current campaigns that seek to address these inequalities. These sessions brought to the table advocates from diverse issue areas and different regions across the island. 

• From Organizing to Albany: Fighting & Winning at the State Level. Explore the connections between organizing and legislative advocacy, the unique challenges and statewide significance of advocacy in Long Island, and how to move through and make change in Albany.  Watch a video of this session in English here and in Spanish here.
• Getting Ready for 2021. With the start of the 2021 legislative and budget session just around the corner, we discuss how the pandemic, budget crisis, and 2020 elections have reshaped the political landscape in Albany. Watch the video here.
• Race & the Advocacy Landscape of Long Island (1/14/21). Learn how policy has fostered segregation and structural inequality, and how we can begin to undo it. Watch the video here.
• Advocacy Campaigns in Long Island (1/21/21). Nia Adams from the Long Island Progressive Coalition, Tela Troge from the Shinnecock Nation, and Maria Bautista from the Alliance for Quality Education join AI in a conversation about current social justice fights on Long Island and how communities are supporting each other to build a better future.   Watch the video here.