About Us

Our Vision

Our goal is to ensure immigrants from Africa, Asia, and Latin America receive the essential resources they need to live a productive, healthy, and fulfilling life, and a community interpreter bank in tandem with language services worker co-ops takes us one step closer to achieving that outcome.

Who We Are

  • African Communities Together

    African Communities Together is an organization of African immigrants fighting for civil rights, opportunity, and a better life for our families here in the U.S. and worldwide. ACT empowers African immigrants to integrate socially, advance economically, and engage civically. We connect African immigrants to critical services, help Africans develop as leaders, and organize our communities on the issues that matter.

    Follow us @AfricansUS

  • Asian American Federation (AAF)

    Founded in 1989, the Asian American Federation (AAF) is a leading advocate for better policies, services, and funding that lead to more justice and opportunity for Asian immigrants, one of the most historically under-resourced communities in New York City. As an umbrella leadership organization, we work together with 70 community-based organizations providing vital social services to 2.1 million Asian New Yorkers, to raise the influence and well-being of the pan-Asian American community through research, policy advocacy, public awareness, and nonprofit support.

    Follow us on Facebook: @AsianAmericanFederation | Instagram & Twitter: aafederation

  • Masa NY nonprofit organization

    Masa NY

    Mission: Masa partners with Mexican and Latino children, youth, and families in the South Bronx to develop strong learners and leaders who fully contribute to the larger community. We envision a community that is civically engaged, empowered, and educated.

    Our Approach: Masa’s community-led, integrated model engages the entire family, grounded in a deep commitment to strengthening literacy, leadership, and power for Mexican, Central American, and Indigenous People. Masa fosters a culturally responsive learning community in which families engage with direct service and advocacy programs to dismantle barriers to success.

    Follow us @masanyorg

  • The New York Immigration Coalition

    The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) is an umbrella policy & advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York. The NYIC serves one of the largest and most diverse newcomer populations in the United States. The multi-racial and multi-sector NYIC membership base includes grassroots and nonprofit community organizations, religious and academic institutions, labor unions, as well as legal and socioeconomic justice organizations.

    The NYIC not only establishes a forum for immigrant groups to voice their concerns, but also provides a platform for collective action to drive positive social change. Since its founding in 1987, the NYIC has evolved into a powerful voice of advocacy by spearheading innovative policies, promoting and protecting the rights of immigrant communities, improving newcomer access to services, developing leadership and capacity, expanding civic participation, and mobilizing member groups to respond to the fluctuating needs of immigrant communities.

    Follow us @thenyic

 FAQs

  • Language Advocacy is a movement that seeks to promote the importance of language learning and understanding in today's multicultural world. It aims to create awareness about the benefits of multilingualism and the positive impact it can have on individuals, communities, and even economies.

  • "Languages of limited diffusion" (LLDs) refer to languages that have a relatively small number of speakers and are not widely spoken or distributed in comparison to major world languages. These languages often have limited geographic, cultural, or ethnic reach and may not be widely understood outside specific communities or regions. Languages of limited diffusion are typically at risk of declining or disappearing as speakers assimilate into larger linguistic communities or as a result of cultural changes.

    The term is often used in the context of language policy and linguistic diversity efforts, highlighting the need to preserve and support languages that are spoken by smaller populations. Governments, organizations, and advocates may work to address the challenges faced by speakers of languages of limited diffusion, implementing policies and initiatives to promote their survival and vitality.

  • A workers' cooperative is a type of business organization owned and democratically controlled by its employees. In a workers' cooperative, the employees are also the owners, and they actively participate in the decision-making processes of the business. Each worker typically has an equal say in the decision-making, regardless of their position or level within the organization.

  • A community interpreter bank refers to a system or organization that facilitates access to language interpretation services within a community. The purpose of a community interpreter bank is to provide language assistance and bridge communication gaps between individuals who speak different languages and service providers, such as healthcare professionals, government agencies, social services, and more.