1st NYC Trans & Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job & Education Fair / ACTION ALERT!
TransJustice, a project of the Audre Lorde Project, A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit & Trans People of Color Community Organizing Center
1st NYC Trans & Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job & Education Fair Initiated by TransJustice, a project of The Audre Lorde Project, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, and Trans People of Color Center for Community Organizing, focusing on the NYC area
The first-ever New York City Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job and Education Fair will take place on Saturday, December 3rd, 2005, from 10am-6pm at the Pennsylvania Hotel.
With this historic event, TransJustice culminates a year of strong political organizing and community building. Drawing from the success and momentum of the 1st Annual Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice on June 24th, 2005, TransJustice intends for this job fair to further shine a spotlight, not just on the unemployment and barriers to education for Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color, but on the struggles of all people trying to find a living wage job and access to educational opportunities.
By organizing the Job and Education Fair, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming peoples of color living in New York are taking the initiative to ensure that their communities reap the full benefits of the Committee on Human Rights (CHR) anti-discrimination guidelines added to the Human Rights Law in December 2004. These guidelines prohibit discrimination of Trans and Gender Non–Conforming people on the basis of gender identity or expression in regards to employment, housing and public accommodations, including city agencies. Nationally, over 236 employers, including 53 Fortune 500 and 104 Private Sector companies, have adopted gender identity guidelines within their hiring policies.
Although Trans and Gender Non-Conforming peoples, especially of color, comprise a diverse skill-based population, their talents are often under-utilized because of societal stigma and discrimination within employment and educational institutions. Through the Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job and Education Fair, TransJustice envisions a change in the political climate in the United States that has historically forced many Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people to have few economic opportunities and/or be dependent on sub-standard governmental programs for survival.
Similar to the tone of the 1st Annual Trans Day of Action, when the Trans and Gender Non-Conforming community and its allies marched over 2000 strong to link struggles and rally for the rights of all New Yorkers, TransJustice sets forth the same vision for this job fair. TransJustice states, “As all people living in the U.S. face record unemployment and under-employment while the Bush Administration continues to spend billions of dollars on the war in Iraq, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming peoples of color stand in solidarity with all working and poor people who are struggling for the right to a living wage job with health benefits and access to affordable education.”
Among the confirmed for the job and education fair are Con Edison, The Metropolitan Transit Authority, Artisan Bakery Center/ Consortium for Worker Education, Housing Works Inc, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, Babeland (formerly Toys in Babeland), Empire State Pride Agenda, DYKE TV, The Fortune Society and The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Additionally, there are over 50 national and New York City endorsers, including Speaker of the House, Gifford Miller, The Women's Studies Program at the George Washington University, The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies of Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CLAGS), Brainpower Research and Development Services Inc, Paper Tiger Television, CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, The International Action Center, FIERCE! Fabulous Independent Educated Radicals for Community Empowerment, Hispanic AIDS Forum, Immigrant Justice Solidarity Project, Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA), The National Center for Transgender Equality, The Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Queers for Economic Justice, Transgender, Gender Variant & Intersex Justice Project, Oakland, CA and United Students Against Sweatshops.
Audre Lorde Project’s TransJustice, along with the New York City Council Members, business leaders, and community allies participating in the job and education fair, will hold a press conference on Wednesday, October 26, 2005, to launch this historic event.
For Interviews & Press Kits Contact Media Coordinator: Kien Chou, 415-845-1536 Email: k_chou@hotmail.com
85 South Oxford Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217-1607
Tel:718-596-0342 ext 18
Fax: 718-596-1328 Email: ikhenry@alp.orgFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : OCTOBER 21, 2005
CONTACT: Kien Chou, 415-845-1536 Email: k_chou@hotmail.com
ACTION ALERT! see press release
Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color & Allies Picket City Hall, Tuesday, Nov. 15th at noon to demand that the Bloomberg administration participate in the first ever Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job & Education Fair.
Tuesday, Nov. 15th 12-2pm In Front of the gates on the Broadway side of City Hall Take N or R Train to City Hall or 4,5,6 to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall and walk through the park to Broadway.
This December 3rd, TransJustice will be hosting the first ever Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job and Education Fair in NYC. So far Mayor Bloomberg's office continues to ignore our requests that the city register as a participant in the job and education fair.
The City of New York is one of New York's largest employers and its absence is simply not acceptable.
TransJustice will be picketing City Hall from 12 noon until 2pm on Tuesday, November 15th to let the administration of New York City know that every New Yorker should have a right to a job at a living wage and it's participation in the Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job & Education Fair is mandatory.
Please come out next Tuesday, the 15th, to show your support for the job fair and demand that the City of New York takes an active role in this historic event.
For more info call: 718 596-0342 ext 18 Media Contact: Kien Chou, 415-845-1536 Email: k_chou@hotmail.com To Endorse/ Register your business or school for The 1st New York City Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job and Education Fair: email Transjobfair@alp.org or call 718 596-0342 ext 18.
To Register to attend as an individual: Call 718 596-0342 ext 27
1st New York City Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job and Education Fair initiated by TransJustice, a project of The Audre Lorde Project, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, and Trans People of Color Center for Community Organizing, focusing on the NYC area. (To see the full 'I pledge' Statement & endorsers see www.alp.org)
TransJustice meetings and events are open to ALL People of color who self-identified as trans, butch lesbians, drag queens, bi-gendered, two-spirited, drag kings, femme queens, A.G.s, genderqueer, non-gendered, andro, crossdressers, gender-benders as well as other identities of peoples who face gender oppression because of their non-conventional gender expression.
Dec 1st - Natl Strike against War, Racism & Poverty for details: www.troopsoutnow.org www.iacenter.org
Activists to Picket City Hall 11-15 to Demand Bloomberg Admin participates in 1st Trans POC Job & Ed Fair
TransJustice, a project of the Audre Lorde Project, A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit & Trans People of Color
Community Organizing Center
85 South Oxford Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217-1607
Tel: 718-596-0342 ext 18
Fax: 718-596-1328*
Email: ikhenry@alp.orgFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 10, 2005
CONTACT: Kien Chou, 415-845-1536 Email: k_chou@hotmail.com
PICKET CALLED FOR CITY HALL, TUESDAY, NOV 15TH 12 NOON TO DEMAND BLOOMBERG ADMINSRATION PARTICIPATE IN THE 1ST EVER TRANS AND GENDER NON-CONFORMING PEOPLE OF COLOR JOB AND EDUCATION FAIR
TRANSGENDER PEOPLE OF COLOR AND ALLIES CALL FOR JOBS AT A LIVING WAGE AND ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION FOR ALL NEW YORKERS
“In December 2004, the mayor signs off to include protection for transgender people on the job, then makes a big speech that he supports our community. Now here we are a year later, Bloomberg he’s re-elected, and his office won’t even return our calls.” said Taila Thomas, a lead organizer, for the 1st New York City Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job and Education Fair.
TransJustice, a political group created by and for Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people of color, will be hosting the job and education fair at the Pennsylvania Hotel on December 3rd of this year. So far, Mayor Bloomberg’s office has ignored multiple requests to participate in and to endorse the job and education fair. TransJustice and its allies will be picketing City Hall on Tuesday, November 15th from noon until 2 PM, to send a clear message to newly re-elected mayor Bloomberg: As one of New York's largest employers, the City of New York’s absence from this historic job and education fair is simply not acceptable. Dara Silverman, Director of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, agrees: "Mayor Bloomberg should use his over-whelming election victory as a mandate to address the needs of all New Yorkers, especially Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color. Throughout history, this population has been disproportionately unemployed, under-employed and denied access to jobs and education because of societal stigma. This job and education fair is long overdue!"
Supporters believe that, the City of New York needs to follow the lead of two of the other largest employers in the city - Con Edison and The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) – who have both signed on to participate in the Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job and Education Fair.
Other participating businesses and schools include Housing Works Inc., Eugene Lang College - The New School for Liberal Arts, Purchase College, State University of New York, The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, The Fortune Society, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, Babeland (formerly Toys in Babeland), DYKE TV, Empire State Pride Agenda, and West Farms Technology and Career Center. “The Trans community is usually excluded from the job market, then criminalized for being poor and the city has completely ignored them. We applaud TransJustice for organizing the job and education fair for trans communities of color, when the city’s only solution is to either neglect them or lock them up.” says, Angel Seda, Outreach Coordinator for the LGBTQ youth of color political group FIERCE, which is currently fighting the city’s attempts to displace young people and the Transgender communities at the Christopher Street Pier and in Manhattan's West Village.
“We’re working to change the political climate, but the lack of participation by the City and many other entities shows that there is definitely a long way to go. We’ve been working on this job and education fair for an entire year and contacted over 150 businesses and schools, but only a fraction of them have responded,” says Taila Thomas, of TransJustice. “ The business and schools that have signed on to participate with us are really taking a stand and distinguishing themselves by showing a demonstrated commitment to diversity.” TransJustice demands the City of New York to demonstrate this commitment as well. “ Our job and education fair may be specifically for Trans and Gender non-conforming people of color, but the Mayor knows that access to jobs, job training, GED programs, higher education are major issues of every single working person in this city.” says Damien Domenack, an organizer with TransJustice. “In this economy, The City of New York should sponsor job fairs for New Yorkers on a monthly basis. We believe no one should be unemployed in this city and this is why we are picketing on November 15th.”
In December 2004, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (CHR) added new anti-discrimination guidelines to the Human Rights Law that prohibits discrimination of Trans and Gender Non–Conforming people on the basis of gender identity or expression in regards to employment, housing and public accommodations, including city agencies. Nationally, over 236 employers, including 53 Fortune 500 and 104 Private Sector Companies, have adopted gender identity guidelines within their hiring policies.
In addition to the business and schools participating in the 1st ever New York City Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Job and Education Fair, there are over 80 national, international and New York City endorsers, including Speaker of the NYC City Council, Gifford Miller, NYC Council Member Christine Quinn, NYC Council Member Letitia James, NYC Council Member Margarita Lopez, NYC Council Member Robert Jackson, The Women's Studies Program at the George Washington University, CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities , NYC , The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies of Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CLAGS), Rev. Errol Harvey, St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, Melissa Sklarz, Co-chair LGBT Committee, Community Board #2, Manhattan, Eric Booth, President/CEO, Fruta Extrana Inc., Bronx, NY, Harlem Student Liberation Action Movement (HarlemSLAM), The Griffin Centre, Toronto, Canada, The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES),
Metropolitan Community Church of New York, The Harm Reduction Coalition, The Sylvia Rivera Law Project, The Joseph Beam Youth Collaborative of Philadelphia, PA, The International Action Center, Brainpower Research and Development Services Inc, Paper Tiger Television, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, Inc., Lambda Legal, Inc, The Brecht Forum, Hispanic AIDS Forum, Immigrant Justice Solidarity Project, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA), The National Center for Transgender Equality, Queers for Economic Justice, Transgender, Gender Variant & Intersex Justice Project, Oakland, CA and United Students Against Sweatshops.
TransJustice is a project of the Audre Lorde Project A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit & Trans People of Color Community Organizing Center.
For Interviews & Press Kits Contact Media Coordinator: Kien Chou, 415-845-1536 Email: k_chou@hotmail.com
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