U.S (MAKE THE ROAD NEW YORK) : 🕊️🕯️Rest in power, caminante Ady BARKAN.

 

 

 We are devastated to learn of the passing of Ady Barkan, at age 39 due to ALS-related complications, a giant of our movement and member of our family...

Dear friend,   We are devastated to learn of the passing of Ady Barkan, at age 39 due to ALS-related complications, a giant of our movement and member of our family who fought with every fiber of his being for respect and dignity for all. Ady joined the Make the Road New York team more than a decade ago as a worker justice lawyer, and fought alongside our members to win the Wage Theft Prevention Act at the state level and Paid Sick Days at the city level. His brilliance, wit, and warmth made him a much beloved member of the Make the Road family. After his time at Make the Road New York, he went on to work for a federal judge in New York, where he drafted the court decision that struck down New York City’s application of stop and frisk policing, a campaign on which our youth fought tirelessly to end racially disparate policing. Ady then went on to the Center for Popular Democracy, where he founded and led two landmark efforts, the Fed Up campaign (in which many of our members participated to demand economic justice from the Federal Reserve) and Local Progress (now a leading national network of local elected officials). In 2016, he was diagnosed with ALS, an incurable disease. As tragedy befell Ady and his family, he refused to stop fighting for what he believed in. In 2017, as his disease progressed, he repeatedly stood up to elected officials and put his body on the line to stop the GOP’s assault on access to health coverage and care. He became a nationally renowned figure when he confronted Senator Jeff Flake on the issue, and he just kept going. Ady asked Sen. Flake to “be a hero,” stand up to his party, and save lives. He then went on to co-found Be A Hero, a national organization devoted to fighting for universal access to health care, home care, and more.  Ady’s professional accolades are many, but we remember him most as a deeply devoted husband and father to his wife, Rachael, and their two children, Carl and Willow, and as a beloved, brilliant, and absolutely hilarious friend. In 2018, we honored Ady with our “Power” award at our annual gala. Watch here the gorgeous video we made to uplift his legacy. Ady inspired us all at Make the Road NY. “It’s up to us to determine our future and our collective liberation; that there is no path, we make the road by walking.” - Ady Barkan Rest in power, caminante. We love you.  ​​​​​​ Jose Lopez, Arlenis Morel, and Theo Oshiro, Co-Executive Directors

Make the Road New York (MRNY) builds the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services. We have 27,000+ members and operate five community centers in Bushwick, Brooklyn; Jackson Heights, Queens; Port Richmond, Staten Island; Brentwood, Long Island; and White Plains, Westchester County.                   Follow us on social media :  Twitter  Facebook Instagram       Visit our website : maketheroadny.org      Have any questions ? Reach out to us at : communications@ maketheroadny.org               Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved.                     Make The Road New York 301 Grove Street Brooklyn, NY 11237