SOMOS as a Vehicle for Change

SOMOS is an opportunity for lawmakers, activists, and concerned citizens from across the state to re-commit to building communities that uplift everyone who calls New York “home”. Whether we’re pushing for economic growth, fighting for social justice, or securing the resources needed to combat inequality, SOMOS is a powerful platform through which we can raise awareness and support for the crucial issues impacting New Yorkers.

The Latino community is an integral part of the diversity that positions New York at the forefront of these important conversations—and SOMOS serves as a vehicle through which we can harness the power of our leaders, thinkers, and scholars to engage and address needs of a community that are too often ignored.

In New York City, we are making great strides to craft policies that reflect our diversity and address widening gaps in socioeconomic equality. We believe in a city that creates and fosters opportunities for success, shelters its homeless, and offers legal help for those navigating our complex courts system alone. We believe in livable vibrant neighborhoods that are affordable to the families that help make our city so exceptional and in a city where no one is left behind. Though we have come so far, there is still more for us to accomplish.

In my recent State of the City address, I proposed key reforms to begin tackling these issues head-on.

The New York City Council is pushing for reforms to make New York friendlier for small businesses and workers alike, including increased protections, resources, and tools that employers and employees can utilize to ensure a better workplace. Our current statewide minimum wage is $8 dollars – higher than ever before, but we can and should do better. The Council is fighting to raise the state minimum wage and for Albany to grant NYC local control over its minimum wage. It makes sense for workers, it makes sense for the middle class, and it makes sense for us.

The Council is also seeking authority to enforce the state’s labor laws, working to ensure our workers are receiving fair wages and working conditions, and asking the state to establish paid family leave. With NYC workers losing over $1 billion each year to wage theft, there is no time to waste.

At SOMOS, we must call attention to the dire needs of New Yorkers living in NYCHA which is facing an $18 billion deficit between what they will receive in federal capital funding and what its buildings and infrastructure require through 2015. Through the combined efforts of the Council, the mayor and the borough presidents, the city plans to commit $225 million for essential infrastructural repairs. The Council calls upon the state to show commitment to the restoration and maintenance of the public housing stock by matching the city’s capital contribution and to show its commitment to the over 400,000 New York State residents that call NYCHA home.

Finally, we once again call on the state to enact the long-awaited DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for qualifying undocumented youth who complete a college degree or two years of military service. New York City has become a national leader in the fight for comprehensive immigration reform by funding free legal representation to the children who cross our borders daily seeking protection and significantly limiting the city’s cooperation with the federal government’s dragnet deportation efforts. New York State has a historic opportunity to stand up for justice, for opportunity, and to recognize the strength and potential within these young people. They represent the path forward for our country—and an investment in them is an investment in our bright future.

The Latino community is a dominant force in the movement to catalyze meaningful socioeconomic justice. Somos el Futuro—we are the future. And that is exactly what we are here to say.