(In many ways, this prefigured the Occupy Wall Street encampment, which began six weeks later, on September 17.)

We originally planted to protest in front of the Republican National Club, hoping that influential Republicans would be in attendance. On arrival to D.C., we determined that we would have a greater impact by going to the debate and expressing our views there. Knowing that there was a risk of arrest, five participants were still willing to unveil a banner reading "Boehner, GOP, create jobs not drama. Tax the super-rich and make Wall Street pay!" The job of the other 22 people was to be present and observe the proceedings on the floor. My particular job was to be a media spokesperson for the group.

Upon entering the Capitol Building, we were escorted to Gallery 10, in the rear of the arena. We noticed that Capitol Security profiled us the moment we entered, and put us through security measures that no other visiting group had to go through. The ladies were not allowed to carry their handbags and no one was allowed to carry a cell phone or camera. When we were seated, we noticed that other groups were allowed to bring their personal articles. Sitting in the last two rows, the 26 of us were watching the proceedings when the five designates stood up, unfurled the banner and started to chant "Boehner, get off it! Time to tax those corporate profits!"

At that point, security personnel tried to wrest the banner from the protesters' hands. While doing so, an officer yanked the banner and flipped one of the protesters, Jaron Benjamin, over a row of seats and on to the floor. The rest of the contingent was told to exit the gallery, and while complying with the order, our 22 observers were arrested, too. I sat in the corner of the gallery and did not move or speak during the entire action, but after everyone was escorted out of the gallery, another security officer pointed at me and said "Take him, too. He was one of them."

While being processed at the D.C. Metro Police station, the arresting officer, Michael Fox revealed that he had profiled the entire group when we came to the floor saying he thought he recognized us from another action. (The nerve!)

The group hereto known as "The Catch 22," was arraigned on August 19 and were offered a diversion program that included community service and, get this, three negative drug screens! Stay tuned to see if the "sacrificial lambs" will be slaughtered or vindicated.

Chris B.: It's not often that I have the captive attention of a district attorney unless I've fallen asleep again with Law and Order on in the background. But a few months ago, my organization Streetwise and Safe was one of a handful of organizations working with LGBT youth that held court with Manhattan District attorney Cy Vance. We were rightfully alarmed about his office's misguided practice of using condoms, which the city spends millions to saturate the city with, as evidence against sex workers, in often flimsy cases.

This catch 22 always struck me as disingenuous in a city with one of the highest HIV infection rates, where almost every surface is plastered with AIDS prevention posters, where it's hard not to step on trademark NYC condoms that are as common as abandoned McDonald's cups.

How can something so commonplace and sponsored by the city health department to save lives, end up inadvertently destroying those lives? That's the question I raised with Mr. Vance's office. I have yet to hear a satisfactory response or see an actual policy change - or even the facade of one. This fall, SAS will be stepping up the pressure to stop this practice!

Peter G.: The act of using condoms as evidence of engagement in prostitution is unfair and unsafe. Many New Yorkers carry condoms for many different reasons. This year I met with a representative of my community, Senator Adriano Espaillat, to introduce him to effects of this practice and share with him how many organizations support the use of condoms and provide them to young New Yorkers.  We also met with our Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance and presented him with petitions signed by people across New York City, from northern Manhattan to Harlem, and from Queens to Brooklyn.

As a member of Streetwise and Safe, I reached out to my community to get these petitions signed. When I brought them to my high school, students agreed that condoms shouldn't be used against someone as evidence of prostitution and signed the petition. They also told me reasons they thought this was important: condoms decrease the chance of pregnancy and abortions, and our clinic and special programs in our school encourage us students to have safe sex providing us with special kits that of course have condoms. So students see it as an act of stereotyping when condoms are used against some people to say they did something wrong. Teachers as well were amazed and asked if they can be part of supporting change to this practice.

Around my neighborhood there were many supporters who were shocked and actually not even aware of that condoms could be used against them like this. They explained that condoms prevent the spread of infections and diseases and we should not be afraid of holding condoms. I felt really good spreading the knowledge of a law--SB 323--that could stop condoms being used against people. The experience behind all of this personally for me is an opportunity to be heard and change policies that affect your daily life. We are all from different backgrounds and lifestyles but this cause is one everyone can relate to.

Like so many others who believe deeply in the movement for equality, economic justice and peace, we at North Star Fund have been inspired by the activists organizing and participating in Occupy Wall Street (#OWS).  In speaking to allies and our grantee leaders in recent weeks, it's clear that many OWS folks have traveled from outside our great city of New York. WELCOME, stay, occupy and proudly pronounce that social change needs every strategy we can muster!

We have been elated that the work of Occupy Wall Street has also captured the attention of mainstream media-- and the world.  And thank you USA Today for your reasoned story of the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon, in which I'm quoted along with the accomplished Left historian Michael Kazin, and believe it or not, Sal Russo, one of the founders of the Tea Party. 

OWS has focused new attention on issues that many of our grantees have been working on for years, particularly for economic justice.   Five years ago, we funded a very smart researcher/activist named Kevin Connor who published the first comprehensive money trail of the three-card monte known as "credit default swaps." These financial instruments were, in fact, packaged predatory loans with inflated values behind them, and led directly to the speculation that caused the collapse of our economy.   Upon the report's release, North Star Fund staff  joined with NEDAP, CHANGER, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, and National People's Action in a protest action that involved singing rewritten Christmas carols to staff at Goldman Sachs and next to the bull on Wall Street. We demanded that the private sector and our government right the wrongs and hold people accountable for the predatory lending and foreclosure crisis. 

I am enthusiastic about Occupy Wall Street, but I want the world to know that  #OWS is not separate from the work of our grantees; it is one expression of a much broader movement for progressive economic justice, created and nourished by generations of activists.  Indeed, many of our grantees have been participating in #OWS activities since its inception on September 17. 

Brian Palmer, North Star Fund's photographer-in-residence, has been documenting the work of VOCAL-NY for the past couple of months. He was with VOCAL on Wednesday October 5th  to photograph their participation in the Community/Labor March.  Brian's images capture the energy and the determination of the thousands of activists who've made their way to downtown Manhattan over the past weeks.

We are in talks with our grantees about how we can support them in further connecting to and building on the Occupy Wall Street moment to make the broader movement that existed before it become even stronger, clearer, more effective and determined.  For those interested in making a donation to this ongoing work, please do so on North Star's website.  There will be much more to come.

Click on any image to enlarge.

As a part of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Adhikaar members spent a whirlwind two-and-a-half days in Washington, DC, learning about the five-point policy goal of the CARE campaign, also known as "Five Fingers of the Caring Hand," -- quality care jobs, training and career ladders, quality jobs and path to unionization, pathways to citizenship, and support for individuals and families in need of care. In sweltering heat, we also went to the Senate for an action to protect Medicaid and Medicare during budget/debt negotiations.

At workshops, and in between, we shared our personal stories and organizing strategies -- the topics were complex and often emotional. In much of our conversations, "family" featured prominently-- our own and the one for whom we provide care. We spoke about the challenges domestic workers face as the line between the employer and employee gets blurred in the intimate, familial workplace. We also talked about the challenges in providing care for the caregivers' families. The domestic workers, most of whom are immigrant women of color, were also worried about who would care for them when they grow old without any safety nets.

In the midst of these intense conversations, we also took time to sing and dance, and celebrate our sisters who often work in shadows caring for others. Adhikaar members came back from Washington, DC with new friends, a better understanding of the campaign and political landscape, and renewed energy to dedicate to the domestic workers movement locally, nationally, and internationally

In response to mounting pressure, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told police officers last week to follow the law and stop making costly and racially biased marijuana arrests, now the number one arrest in New York City. This could translate into tens of thousands of fewer arrests among Black and Latino youth each year.

VOCAL-NY led the grassroots effort to end these arrests in collaboration with our allies at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and the Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform and Alternatives (IJJRA).

Although marijuana use is higher among whites, 86% of those arrested for marijuana possession last year were Black and Latino youth. The NYPD's aggressive use of stop-and-frisks in communities of color, along with unconstitutional searches that often follow, have largely driven these arrests. Being arrested can mean more than a night in jail too. It can make it difficult for people to find housing, get a job, take care of their family and apply for tuition assistance.

While we need to applaud and celebrate this victory, there is much, much more work to be done. This page of maps and graphics from the New York Times shows the disproportionate use of the stop-and-frisk policing tactic in communities of color. For instance, even though New York City's Black population represents 23% of total residents, they bear 55% of police stops. In many communities, being thrown up against a wall or laid down on the pavement with a police boot on your head--just for walking down the sidewalk-- has become rite of passage for too many young men.

North Star Fund was proud to be asked by a coalition of grassroots leaders to  become the fiscal sponsor for the Campaign for Fair and Just Policing. This is a stellar new coalition of New York City research, activist and advocacy groups, including Make the Road New York, Center for Constitutional Rights, John Jay College of Criminal Justice/Center on Race, Crime & Justice, Justice Committee, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and the New York Civil Liberties Union. The campaign's goals are to  continue gathering facts on racial profiling, conduct community outreach, and undertake broad public education efforts to reduce New York City's reliance on zero tolerance and bias-based policing.

This is exactly the kind of diverse movement coalition that North Star Fund is committed to supporting. We look forward to a day when all of our city's youth can go about their business without the fear of being stopped and humiliated by police from outside their neighborhood, with little or no sense of local accountability.

The program kicked off with a three-day retreat in upstate NY. The retreat brought together members and staff of the first five recipients of the new Movement Leadership grants: VOCAL NY (which I belong to), Families for Freedom, New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), Brandworkers International, and Domestic Workers United. We convened for three days of team-building exercises, interaction and fun. The perspective offered by each different organization was enlightening to all the other attendees. Through it all, I experienced a great camaraderie. The specific issues may have been different for each organization, but even still solutions were  put forward that had similar tactics and/or strategies. Throughout the weekend, not only did organizations better understand the assets and shortcomings of themselves, but they also got insight on the operations of other organizations and the general consensus was that we are more similar than not.

Through leadership development, organizations can grow to exercise their power. For instance, VOCAL NY has a program called 'Power Academy,' where our members are trained to communicate with all levels of government and corporate officials in terms that they can understand. VOCAL NY sent three representatives to the retreat -- one from the membership: Jim Lister; one from staff: Jaron Benjamin; and a board member: myself. By this representation, VOCAL is able to transmit its leadership skills to even the newest members. By the end of the retreat, even the most shy attendees opened up and spoke with voices that were strong as lions. Through education, strategizing and the implementation of various tactics, all invitees went away with an elevated level of empowerment.

The Movement Leadership program did not end at the retreat. All organizations involved have since been attending follow-up sessions that chart the progress of the one-year plan that we created at the retreat to collaborate with each other. And each organization also made its own individual work plan for the year. North Star Fund has provided a leadership "coach" to help us navigate our organizational map. The ability to set short- and long-range goals and achieve them has been key to the success of VOCAL as an organization and pivotal to our individual development as leaders. Training people in one issue area -- for instance, housing -- is challenging. But to have the lessons learned from multiple issue areas come together into one curriculum is a major feat.

When you get down to the bottom line, you measure success by results. For instance, the qualities I emphasized to develop for myself leading by example, showing self-control, and speaking to the media -- were put on public display. I was appointed to key leadership positions at the Showdown in Ohio (that's me at 0:30 in the video link), which was a direct action against JP Morgan Chase Bank in conjunction with the National People's Action (NPA).  I also took on a leadership position in the On May 12 Coalition which mobilized over 20,000 people in a direct action against the unfair financial policies of Wall Street brokers. These actions, along with battling against budget cuts in the New York State and New York City budgets, have been another feather in my cap. Quality training and preparation, like the kind provided through North Star Fund's Movement Leadership program, create quality leadership.

On July 7, a federal appeals court rejected the FCC's attempt to revoke broadcast ownership rules meant to protect media diversity in Prometheus Radio Project v. FCC. This was the second time the court blocked the FCC from deregulating ownership, and a major victory for everyone who cares about a diverse, accountable media system. At issue was the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership ban, a rule that prevents the same company from owning the newspaper and a broadcast station in the same market.

The ban has been in place for 35 years, but Rupert Murdoch has a waiver in the New York market -- where he owns the NY Post, the Wall Street Journal, and a slew of TV stations, including WNYW, where he launched the Fox Network. Last week's court ruling prevented the FCC from lifting the ban and allowing companies like News Corp to grow even larger and less accountable.

The Johnson Family Foundation Fund for Community Media at North Star Fund is one of but a few funders that are engaged in media justice work and their support has allowed Prometheus to join with other public interest allies to fight the kind of ownership consolidation that allows giant corporations to slash jobs, shutter newsrooms, silence dissent, and feed their bottom line. We beat the FCC in the same court eight years ago, and after a protracted fight, we did it again. It's a historic moment that freezes the deregulation that has unraveled protections for the public in every aspect of our government.

But stemming the tide of consolidation alone isn't going to change our media system. We also need alternatives. The scandal-obsessed status quo doesn't work -- we need media that will help our communities solve problems, address issues constructively, and build for our shared future.

That's why Prometheus fought for over ten years to pass the Local Community Radio Act, and again, at last, we won! The Local Community Radio Act will expand opportunities for local, community-based low power FM (LPFM) radio to cities and towns nationwide. We expect this to be the largest expansion of community radio in U.S. history, doubling or tripling the number of low power FM stations. And community radio allows organizations working for social change to have a voice on the airwaves, to skip the Murdochs altogether, and share to their stories directly with their neighbors.

It's a tremendous opportunity, and at Prometheus we've been fortunate enough to lead a diverse coalition of organizations nationwide fighting for this chance. Without the support of our allies, volunteers, and donors, this victory would not have been possible.

We are still working with the FCC to implement the bill, and as they say in DC, implementation is everything. The Our Cities, Our Airwaves campaign is a chance to tell the FCC that we want community radio in all our cities and towns. So far, it's working. The FCC just released proposed rules that could ensure channels nationwide.

With everyone's help, we will keep it up until all of us have access to the airwaves. We deserve to hear much better things when we tune in than Murdoch -- whether it's his news network or his latest scandal.

On June 24, 2010, 200 residents from Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx came together to say to the Department of Treasury that we need to make changes to the Homeowner Assistance Modification Program so that our neighbors can stay in their homes. Brooklyn Congregations United, the Center for New York City Neighborhoods, and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition provided the research to show that we are a hard hit community and that people have provided the needed documentation to the banks and are still not getting the help they deserve. We have asked the U.S. Department of Treasury to commit to making changes so that there is transparency and accountability in the process. We raised up that unemployment and underemployment has made it impossible for many people to pay their mortgages and we must recognize that there are local areas that need assistance for unemployed homeowners. We will continue to press for financial reform legislation to include protections for homeowners and renters in foreclosed properties. We asked Treasury official Mark McArdle to set up a meeting with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner so that we can talk with him directly about the plight of homeowners in our communities.

On November 4, 2010, forty members of a nationwide coalition of clergy, struggling homeowners, housing counselors and community groups -- including Michael Hickey and Jennifer Murphy from the Center for New York City Neighborhoods at BCU's invitation, John Kemp and myself of Brooklyn Congregations United -- met face-to-face with Treasury Secretary Geithner and other senior Treasury officials to present specific proposals for how the Administration can take a new, practical approach to fighting foreclosures and increasing the number of loan modifications.

Coalition members, including homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes, presented a series of practical proposals on how the Administration could: 1) implement a targeted pause on owner-occupied foreclosures, 2) compel servicers to do more principal reductions, 3) extend help for unemployed homeowners and, 4) hold servicers accountable to complying with HAMP.

I found Secretary Geithners sympathetic to our analysis, and it was clear that Treasury is trying to figure out its capacity to compel servicers to do more loan modifications and that's where we may disagree. We think Treasury has much more power to hold the banks accountable than they've been willing to use.

On April 1st, 2011, I learned that Treasury Secretary Geithner has agreed to increase forbearance for unemployed homeowners facing foreclosure from the current three months to six months. I am also pleased that the The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act provided $1 billion to the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to implement the Emergency Homeowners' Loan Program (EHLP). $111,649,112 will come to New York homeowners. The program is designed to provide mortgage payment relief to eligible homeowners experiencing a drop in income of at least 15 percent, directly resulting from involuntary unemployment or underemployment due to adverse economic conditions and/or a medical emergency. The mortgage relief covers past-due mortgage payments, as well as a portion of the homeowner's mortgage payment for up to 24 months (up to $50,000).

Applications were due by July 27 and must be filed with a set of nonprofits in your state that will administer the program (see links below). There's funding for a specific number of homeowners in Colorado to get up to 2 years, forgivable, no interest loans to save their homes from foreclosure.

Key things to qualify were:

• Must be 3 months or more behind on the mortgage
• Must have lost more than 15% of income since the Recession began due to unemployment and/or cut in wages

EHLP Links:

• Emergency Homeowners' Loan Program Main Site
• Application & Pre-Screening Guidelines (see checklist & other links on right side-bar)

What's new in the housing movement? The title says it: Tenants have started to win. It's been nearly 20 years since New York City's tenants could say this: We've begun to turn the tide in the fight for stronger rent protections.

Rent regulation laws provide security to over 2.5 million mostly low-income tenants by guaranteeing their right to renew their leases with modest rent increases -- even when market prices are skyrocketing. The system is twice as large as all other affordable housing programs combined, and it's the primary defense for low-income tenants resisting displacement in rapidly gentrifying areas. But landlords spend millions per year on legislative campaigns and on lobbying to undermine these laws, and have succeeded in weakening them every time they've come up for renewal since the early 1990s.

The biggest weakening amendment they got was vacancy decontrol, which allows landlords to entirely deregulate apartments when tenants move or are pushed out. Over the past 18 years, we've lost approximately 300,000 affordable apartments this way. Met Council on Housing has organized to end this loophole and reform our rent laws ever since the loophole was first created. When a similar measure was enacted to phase-out rent control in the early 1970s, we played a key role in mobilizing tenants to win an expansion of the rent-stabilization system to take its place.

We significantly escalated our campaign to win stronger rent laws in the past three years by leading efforts in the Real Rent Reform campaign, a broad-based coalition we helped to form in 2007. Our members engaged in typical legislative campaign activities, including press conferences, rallies, lobbying trips to Albany, canvassing events, and phone banks. But we also took the lead in pushing more radical tactics than the tenant movement had recently seen in years - such as culminating weeks of neighborhood canvassing with a controversial protest at the home of a top state legislator, and spearheading civil disobedience protests in both of the last two years.

This year, rent regulation laws were set to expire mid-June, and landlords again poured millions into lobbying efforts to weaken them, including a new loophole to permit the deregulation of tens of thousands of units in buildings receiving tax breaks. Our fight carried on nine days past when our existing laws expired, but we emerged with an extension of our laws that -- for the first time in 18 years -- contained no landlord givebacks at all, and some improvements for tenants that will make deregulation schemes more difficult.

We're still fighting an uphill battle to preserve the affordability of our diverse neighborhoods for the coming generation, but we've started to see the payoff of our years of organizing.

During the last week of June, hundreds of immigrant youth from across the country filled the halls of Washington, D.C. to call on Congress and the Obama administration to stop the deportation of immigrant youth and pass the DREAM Act. Dreamers, as the DREAM Act activists call themselves, held the Education Not Deportation Graduation Ceremony as a follow up to the first ever Senate subcommittee hearing solely on the DREAM Act earlier in the week. As they have done before, immigrant youth filled the hearing room to capacity with their stories and hopes.

This  symbolic graduation has become a yearly ceremony in which the dreams and aspirations of immigrant youth from all around the country are conveyed to lawmakers in D.C. as an urgent call to action for Congress to pass the DREAM Act. Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who caused quite a splash last week when he came out as a Dreamer, addressed the crowd, adopting the role of a colleague and fellow alum to the immigrant youth movement, rather than a valedictorian.

I was at the April 2004 graduation ceremony. I was 19, and this was my very first action for the DREAM Act. I was just beginning to internalize what it meant to be an undocumented college sophomore. And it was the first time I realized I was not alone and that there were youth with a similar story and drive to change this injustice all around the country.

It's been less than 10 years since then, and the connections we built at the ceremony of 2004 flourished into the foundation of the movement that has grown beyond my wildest imagination. The United We Dream Network, the national network of immigrant youth organizations, convened a national congress in March to plan this week's mobilization. More than 200 immigrant youth leaders from 22 states came together in Memphis, Tennessee to develop a shared strategy to continue building the movement. As a co-founder of United We Dream Network, the wide participation was very gratifying to see -- further proof of how far we've come.

As with almost all activities of the immigrant youth movement, leaders were involved in everything from fundraising for the event to the facilitation of essions and workshops. At the Congress we all shared our stories as undocumented immigrant youth  continuing to build our shared identity and narrative. From there we returned to our communities energized to build grassroots power by convening regional retreats and trainings where we could train each other to sharpen our organizing skills and figure out how our communities will be part of the national plan of action.

We are also celebrating the victories of bills  in Maryland and Connecticut that allow immigrant youth to pay in-state tuition rates. Dreamers and our  allies also stopped efforts to repeal existing in-state tuition provisions for immigrant youth or proposed bans on immigrant youth access to higher education in California, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Utah. Other reasons to celebrate are the expansion of opportunities for immigrant youth in Illinois by creating access to privately funded scholarships offered by the State of Illinois.  A similar bill is currently facing procedural hurdles in California. Perhaps the boldest state bill for immigrant youth is being promoted by North Star Fund grantee New York State Leadership Council to provide drivers licenses, state financial aid programs, and even a special work permit for immigrant youth who have grown up in the state.

With an ever-emboldened spirit grounded in the experience of belonging and justice, there has been a major escalation of civil disobedience by immigrant youth including leadership from the New York State Youth Leadership Council and other immigrant youth leaders from around the country. Most recently it took place in Georgia after the Board of Regents there banned undocumented students from its top five public universities and inside the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC.

There are also individual victories. According to Carlos Saavedra, national coordinator of the United We Dream Network, dreamers have stopped dozens of Dream Act eligible youth from being deported in recent months. The effort which has been coined 'END' (Education Not Deportation) has focused on stopping the deportations of individual DREAM Act eligible youth while pushing the Obama Administration to halt detentions and deportations of DREAM Act youth by executive order. Last week Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued new guidelines on immigrants not prioritized for detention and deportation, listing undocumented youth among them. Despite these gains, Carlos noted they are working on over 60 deportation cases of DREAM Act eligible youth from around the country.

Although when the DREAM Act will pass remains unknown, it is unquestionable that the immigrant youth movement continues to grow in numbers and influence, and with it, the strength of the entire social justice movement in the U.S.

This action was one of several  that have occurred throughout the nation, including Chicago, NY, Washington D.C., to express the frustration of American people who are being alienated in their communities by corporate greed and corruption. This protest was organized by NPA (National Peoples Action), and included many organizations and individuals from all over the country. My involvement, as a board member for VOCAL NY and a leadership team member, afforded me the opportunity to experience grassroots action at its highest level. VOCAL NY was invited to this action because of our track record in activism--including two victories in Albany in 2010 --and because of our experience in event tactics. It seemed like over three quarters of the Columbus Police Department was there to meet us.  An over-zealous officer welcomed me and the 15 others on my team with mace.

The beauty of the event was that none of the participants were deterred by the police presence. The "side actions,"  including protesters dressed as Robin Hood's Merry Men storming the moat surrounding the corporate office, distracted the law enforcement away from the real action. 

Our infiltration team got access to the meeting through proxies, actual Chase employees, who escorted our "plants" secretively into the meeting. The infiltrated plants succeeded in gaining an audience with the shareholders to pronounce our grievances. In an apologetic gesture, Chase CEO Jamie Dimon admitted that some of the practices were unfair and granted one of the foreclosure victims a loan modification so that she could regain her home. While this act was largely symbolic, we hope that some part of it will take root in other financial institutions and corporate entities, so that the cycle of corruption and greed does not continue in the nation. Tax shelters, campaign contributions and not reinvesting in the community is no way to treat hard working communities of people.

Earlier this year I wrote in an editorial for The Empire Page on five things that Cuomo could do to be a good governor. At the time I wrote:

Stay out of the destructive (and misnamed) Secure Communities program. This federal program ensnares undocumented immigrants without criminal records, and encourages racial profiling. It is responsible for deporting productive people with strong family and community ties in the United States.

I would like to think  my op-ed that convinced the governor to do the right thing. But what really convinced him was the steadfast and strategic efforts of hundreds of New York activists, directed both at the Governor and local police departments. North Star Fund is proud to be an early and steadfast supporter enabling these activists to expose the insecurity and injustice of the Secure Communities approach. I want to especially celebrate three grantees that put in the long hours needed to challenge the system and to make change: Families for Freedom, New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) and the New Sanctuary Coalition. Families for Freedom and NICE are both participating in our new Movement Leadership grants program. New Sanctuary Movement received their first foundation grant in 2010-- and I'm proud to say that grant came from North Star.

Unfortunately, the  jury is out about how much getting out of Secure Communities will reduce the number of local police departments that cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  But by rescinding Secure Communities for the state, Cuomo is ending their mandatory cooperation. And on a national level, he's putting political pressure on DHS to stop the local cooperation programs all together. Secure Communities has criminalized undocumented immigrants who, because of trade policies that the U.S. government promotes, often have no options in their sending countries. And despite the fact that many immigrants receive no benefits, they pay billions in taxes last year.

Again, hats off to Families for Freedom, NICE and the New Sanctuary Coalition. You've shown how resources, strategically leveraged, can make a huge difference. We appreciate  all the time and effort you've  devoted to making a city and a state honors its immigrant communities, past and present.

We believe that the Macerich Company has an opportunity to take the lead and become a model mall owner.  We are co-hosting a town hall meeting about the Queens Center Mall on Saturday, May 21, 3pm at St. Paul the Apostle Church (98-16 55th Ave) to call on  the Mall to reflect these values by:

1. Requiring Living Wage Jobs With Benefits: $10 per hour with benefits or $11.50 without benefits.
2. Respecting Workers' Right to Organize a Union without intimidation or fear of reprisals from their employers.
3. Providing Services for the Surrounding Community, such as ESL classes, youth activities, job training and job placement services.

By taking action for better conditions at the Queens Center Mall, we hope to bring relief to the families that work at and frequent the mall and also take a step towards justice for all workers in NYC.

Together we are bringing hope to working families.

Rev. Lancelot Waldron is the board president of Queens Congregations United for Action.  QCUA is a faith-based community organization representing nine congregations and schools and thousands of families in Queens.  QCUA is a North Star Fund grantee since 2007. This event is co-sponsored by QCUA; Make the Road New York; and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union

I am pleased to share  some of the great photos of the Community Gala.  To see them, please visit our Facebook page. While you're there, tell the world that you like us!

We're ecstatic that going into the event we had raised $582,000 - and that somebody at the event was so inspired by the program that he met my challenge from the podium to 'close the gap' and pledged a gift of $18,000. So this year's Community Gala raised a total of $600,000 to fund grassroots community organizing for social justice throughout New York City.
Thanks so much to  those of you who came and met North Star for the first time and were introduced to the work that we support. We hope that it was a moment for you to see the world from a new perspective and to deepen your understanding of the importance of grassroots leadership in a strong, authentic democracy.

There were so many inspiring things said from the podium by our honorees - Arva Rice, Vincent McGee, Lawrence Benenson and the activists from FIERCE, VOCAL NY, and Make the Road NY. During the closing conversation on how philanthropy can support grassroots activism, Ana Maria Archila, co-director of Make the Road NY said something that, for me, really encapsulated North Star's role. She said, "Many of the leaders who have inspired our country and pushed us forward to a space of more dignity, have highlighted the fact that our lives are interdependent... We can use North Star Fund as a place to express our desire and intention to transform society so that everyone has an opportunity, everyone has dignity, everyone has the ability to achieve their potential."

Over and over, people kept asking me why we've been so successful with the Community Gala -- and North Star generally.  And I keep saying that it's because we've got leaders, allies, and supporters like you, from every corner of the city, and from all walks of life. Despite all the demands on your time and competing interests, you see North Star's unique role in this city that we all cherish. And you're willing to put in the time to help us build.

VOCAL is a group that the NY Times called "hecklers" as they protested over several weeks  the Tea Party-like budget policies of the newly elected Governor and his "Committee to Save New York."

I call VOCAL fearless patriots who go to the places where people are fighting to manage and overcome drug addiction, to survive on limited incomes while battling HIV/AIDS and to end their corrosive contact with our increasingly privatized prison system.  For these reasons, join us to honor them at our Community Gala on May 11th.

Last year, VOCAL got through our dysfunctional state legislature a syringe access bill, a prison gerrymandering bill and a bill that would have, if not for ex-Governor Patterson's veto pen, stopped efforts to force people with HIV/AIDS who receive public assistance to pay up to 70% of their benefits for housing.  Now that's a return on investment! Thank you to North Star's donor community who helped make VOCAL one of our inaugural Movement Leadership grantees.