Last fall, Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for mayor of New York City lit up progressive people around the globe with a positive vision of how governing power could improve the lives of everyday people. Now, our Co-Executive Director Kesi Foster is joining the Mamdani administration as Director of Co-Governance for the newly-founded Office of Mass Engagement. The goal: to shift the levers of power from the ultra-wealthy and well-connected to community organizations, faith-based groups, and everyday New Yorkers looking to make their voices heard.

Even in this dark moment in our country, we see a rising tide of people calling for change like this: a world that puts workers over billionaires, where communities unite against authoritarian forces, and where a commitment to racial justice, dignity, and human rights wins. We are not naive about the challenges we face, but we see evidence every day that when we come together across borders and across race and class lines, we can win. 

Liz Sullivan-Yuknis has been the Co-Executive Director of Partners for the last six years and will continue to lead the organization as Executive Director. One of the co-founders of the organization, Liz has worked to defend human rights and education justice, supporting the Dignity in Schools Campaign for the past two decades. She has worked with community organizations across the country, building student and parent power to win policy change that pushes back against the criminalization, defunding and privatization of public education and moves toward a vision for participatory, equitable and restorative school communities.

Our work at Partners continues to be rooted in our deep partnerships with community and worker organizations. It’s been said that fascism is defined by the merger of corporate and state power. Through our partnerships, we continue to rise to meet this moment, taking on corporate power and collaborating with community groups to grow their own power and develop models to govern themselves, their workplaces, and their communities. Together we’re pushing back, fighting for the world we believe in and building the structures to support it day by day. 

Our momentum is growing, even in these difficult times.

We encourage you to join us.