We are excited to welcome longtime friend of The Action Lab Steve Kest to our advisory board! Steve serves as Senior Advisor to Popular Democracy, with responsibility for a number of projects designed to build PD’s capacity. In addition, he is coordinating the network’s “fight-back” campaign against the policies and programs of the Trump administration. Steve is a decades-long veteran of community organizing, who ran the Fight for a Fair Economy (FFE) program at Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and helped support the Fight for 15 campaign to organize fast food workers. Before joining SEIU, Steve was a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he helped CAP develop its work on community organizing. Steve’s most significant experience was at ACORN, where he worked for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles, including as National Executive Director. Steve graduated from Harvard and lives in Brooklyn, NY. Welcome, Steve!
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Op-Ed | Building a city that values home-based providers
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Years ago, New York City took its first steps toward expanding public child care with the creation of Pre-K and 3-K. Those investments changed lives. But as the city expanded access, too many family child care providers — the home-based educators who have long anchored their communities — were left behind.
Providers Organized for Power | Child Care Workers Demand Investment and Fair Wages
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Liberation Summer | June, July, August 2026
Liberation Summer | June, July, August 2026
Through performances, workshops, and community gatherings across New York City, Liberation Summer 2026 brings people together through music, storytelling, art, and collective resistance.

