HONOREE: Cecilia Gentili, Trans Rights Activist & POSE Actress

Cecilia Gentili is a Trans and queer community organizer and actress who has dedicated her life to creating spaces for healing and transformation, as well as fighting for justice, in TGNCIQ communities. She is the principal and owner of Transgender Equity Consulting and actress on the hit TV show POSE. Prior to this, she served as the Director of Policy at GMHC.

Cecilia has been a tremendous inspiration to our translatinx members and our TGNCIQ Justice organizing committees. She has helped us elevate the fight to decriminalize the sex trades in New York, to fight for undocu-trans communities’ access to legal representation that is culturally competent, and to push for essential services in NYC that center Trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming and queer communities.

HONOREE: Members of the New York State Nurses Association Health + Hospitals and Mayoral Executive Council

We honor the NYSNA nurses who work across New York City and State in our public hospitals. NYSNA nurses in public hospitals provide high quality and compassionate medical care to our communities. They organize powerfully to make NY healthier for everyone by protecting the rights of nurses, fighting for safer staffing ratios, keeping hospitals open for all and fighting for universal healthcare access. Together with NYSNA, we have fought to build a healthcare system that works for everyone and ensures high quality care for all New Yorkers.

HONOREE: Deepak Bhargava, Distinguished Lecturer, School of Labor & Urban Studies, CUNY

Deepak Bhargava is one of our nation’s most powerful activists and movement leaders. He is a Distinguished Lecturer in Urban Studies at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. He has over 25 years of experience in social justice advocacy, organizing and non-profit management including his 16-year tenure as Executive Director at the Center for Community Change.

Deepak has helped to win major expansions of anti-poverty programs and has done critical work to defend the social safety net, develop thousands of grassroots leaders and organizers, pass the Affordable Care Act and fight for immigration reform. Throughout his career, he has shown his commitment and skill as an organizer, frontline activist, strategist, thought leader and educator. His leadership and mentorship have helped shape the immigrant rights movement as we know it today.