Our 2026 Honorees

Every year at our Community Gala, we celebrate the impact of thousands of New Yorkers who do the hard work of grassroots organizing.

We are celebrating all 160+ of our grassroots grantees, who together mobilize tens of thousands of New Yorkers for justice.

Among all these wonderful groups, we highlight three of them with the Frederick Douglass Award.

This is a chance to get a closer look at the realities of grassroots organizing, and all the forms it takes. Here’s your introduction to our 2026 Frederick Douglass Award honorees.

Prepare to be inspired and amazed…

Adelante Student Voices
Caribbean Equality Project
Street Vendor Project

Adelante Student Voices

Adelante Student Voices posing for a group photo.
Young people standing in a circle, putting their hands in the middle.

Adelante Student Voices is a safe space for undocumented students in the Hudson Valley to explore routes to college. Members join their network by attending a summer session. Then, they continue to develop their educational roadmap through mentorship and quarterly reunions.

They also organize to transform systems. Adelante works with students to research new policy directions. They provide consulting to colleges and universities that want to be more undocumented-friendly. Members become involved in local, state and federal campaigns on immigration and education issues. Their work creates opportunities and changes lives. And their legislative advocacy and institutional campaigns contribute to a more just New York.

Caribbean Equality Project

Caribbean Equality Project members celebrating.
Group photo of Caribbean Equality Project
Caribbean Equality Project (CEP) was founded in 2015 in response to anti-LGBTQ+ hate violence in Richmond Hill, Queens. For over a decade, they have empowered Afro- and Indo-Caribbean LGBTQ+ immigrants and Caribbean communities in New York City. CEP is a community-based organization led by survivors. Their approaches include public education, community organizing, and mutual aid. They build political power through voter registration and legislative advocacy. Their storytelling and cultural programs work to end hate violence in the Caribbean diaspora. They also provide legal support and healing spaces, including support groups in Brooklyn and Queens. To this day, they are New York’s only Caribbean LGBTQ+ rights organization.

Street Vendor Project

Photo of Street Vendor Project members marching with a large yellow banner with their logo.
Street Vendor Project members rallying in New York City.

The Street Vendor Project (SVP) is a membership-based organization of more than 3,200 vendors. SVP builds power and community among vendors. They work together to defend the rights and improve the working conditions of New York City’s 23,000 street vendors.

SVP strives to expand vending as a viable, lawful employment option for immigrants and other entrepreneurs. Their approaches include direct legal representation, small business training, organizing support, leadership development and strategic legislative advocacy. 96% of vendors are immigrants and language access is ingrained in SVP’s work. They provide services in Spanish, Arabic, Bangla, Mandarin, Wolof, French and English.