Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Girls for Gender Equity: New York City, The Fight Is Not Over!

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The following was submitted by Ashley C. Sawyer, Policy Director for Girls for Gender Equity

Dear Community,

Over the past few weeks, many of you have joined us to protect the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) from draconian budget cuts which threaten the safety net of millions of youth, especially youth of color in New York. Thank you for tweeting and joining us for virtual City Council hearings.

The fight is not over.

In the next few weeks, the elected officials that have been entrusted with protecting young people will be out of the public eye and behind closed doors to negotiate the final budget with the Mayor. Who they choose to protect with this budget is a matter of political will – so we have to apply pressure.

We have to make sure that they live up to the promises they made during those hearings. We need them to commit to fighting for a budget that increases funding for the DOE. We need funding to provide mental health and academic support to students as they continue to live through a global pandemic. We need funding that protects summer youth programming for summer 2020.

GGE budget analysis shows that the City could save $50,000,000 just by freezing hiring for New York City Police Department’s School Safety Division.  It is possible to meet our young people’s needs if there is a real commitment to cutting the NYPD budget. As our city works to rebuild, now is the time to seed a future that will center young people, invest in their well-being, and create lasting change.


Please email key City Council Members who will negotiate the city budget.

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