Anu Biswas is the recipient of this year’s 1199SEIU Basil Paterson Scholarship Award. Anu grew up in Bangalore, India, in an environment of activists and politically engaged family and friends. They are fluent or are conversant in 4 languages of India, plus familiar with Arabic and Spanish!

Anu had the privilege of receiving a scholarship to Middlebury College in Vermont, but the wealth of the campus and its contrast to the impoverished surroundings was a shock.  To understand their surroundings better, Anu spent time volunteering at the Vermont Workers Center and learned about concerns confronting area workers in the state’s poorest county.  For their senior project on codes of conduct, Anu focused on labor standards in the hotel housekeeping industry, developing a project and receiving grant funding to interview hotel housekeepers in India and California about occupational health and safety conditions. 

Anu gained valuable labor experience in the Union Semester program at SLU in 2015, placing as a research intern for UNITE HERE. The melding of excellent courses with practical union experience, plus the diversity within the program cemented their desire to continue working with labor. Shortly thereafter, Anu began working in the research department of 1199 SEIU.  Both unions have memberships that are primarily women of color, many of whom are immigrants, and Anu felt deeply connected to their experiences.  

The Director of Research at 1199SEIU says that “Anu has a broadly progressive and intersectional outlook with a willingness to do the hard work that builds the labor movement.  Anu was an active, engaged member of the research team, developing a deep understanding of markets and providers.” 

Due to the crisis of affordable housing in New York, Anu joined with their neighbors to organize a rent strike in their building during this period of the Covid pandemic. They see community and labor work as deeply intertwined with the overall oppression of people of color and building greater solidarity as the key way to effect meaningful long-term change. 

Latoya Fisher, recipient of this year’s Morton Bahr Award, has big dreams and ambitions, and she’s well on her way to achieving them, both at work and as a student at SLU. Working in an executive capacity for the New York City Police Department Personnel Unit, she has been promoted three times, and her goal is to become a director within the Personnel Bureau of the agency … and eventually, to run for a city or state government position!  

But all along the way, she has generously helped her fellow CWA Local 1180 members to reach their dreams, or resolve problems at work. For Latoya, one of the best parts of her job is being in a position to help people who are unhappy in theirs – sometimes by helping them transfer to a more satisfying job, to access their benefits, or to navigate the process for taking leave. She’s an active volunteer with the Local’s programs and initiatives and aspires to take on greater leadership roles within the union.

But she has also been an outstanding student, earning honors, making the Dean’s list, and joining the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Kingsborough Community College. She plans to finish her Bachelor of Arts at SLU, and continue her education by pursuing an M.A. degree. As one of her recommenders noted, “Latoya sees the labor movement as the essential vehicle in the struggles for economic and racial justice. She has a truly impressive ability to connect micro-level dynamics that she or her classmates have experienced in life to larger political and economic structures. Her skill at presenting these ideas clearly, and with tremendous humility, in a way that connects to and inspires others, is what impresses me most.” 

Melanie Kruvelis is the child of two Ford assembly line workers, and was the first in her family to attend a four-year college. While at the University of Michigan, she quickly developed her talent for journalism, becoming editorial page editor of the campus daily, and overseeing the work of 20 student writers. Simultaneously, she stretched her journalism chops by writing for USA Today and Michigan Public Radio, which hired her as an assistant editor.  

Writing about tough issues sharpened her analysis of inequality and led her to a research and policy position at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, where she was granted a prestigious fellowship. There, her compelling policy brief on single mothers in college was used to successfully fight for increased funding for campus childcare. She also organized to improve the salary and conditions of childcare providers.

Melanie has been instrumental in building Young Invincibles, a dynamic new political education, mentorship, and mobilization program that trains college students to advocate for systemic changes and build student power. Young Invincibles has fought for increased funding and free tuition at CUNY. It has organized student town halls highlighting inadequate mental health services, which resulted in CUNY expanding mental health support, and it is currently fighting for more counselors at all public colleges.  

Melanie is especially proud of her bold campaign to assess the barriers that un-housed students face when trying to enter college. Her report on college student homelessness resulted in New York City Council funding to expand campus food programs as well as changes in city shelter policies to better support students academically. In 2019, Melanie was appointed by the NY City Council to serve on the City’s Youth Board, based on her research and advocacy to end young-adult homelessness.

As one of her recommenders said, “Melanie embodies the values of empowering people from marginalized communities and holding people in power accountable. She’s a skilled organizer, scholar-activist, and advocate, and she builds collective power through authentic engagement across racial, ethnic, and gender identities.”

Melanie feels an urgency to help communicate labor’s values to more young people – our future leaders. By melding her journalist skills, policy expertise, and coalition building and organizing experience, she hopes to impact both unions and young people to increase solidarity in the fight for an anti-authoritarian, egalitarian, and livable planet.

Patrick Milord has worked as an MTA station agent for over two decades, and is currently a student at SLU in the B.A. in Urban and Community Studies program. His journey from apathetic union member to TWU Local100 shop steward began after he met an inspirational and remarkable union activist, a transit cleaner, who was, Patrick says, “a great colleague, good friend and a die-hard unionist who permanently embedded in my mind, heart and soul the essence of unionism and labor’s struggle throughout the world.”

Patrick learned how crucial it was for members to have union representation immediately after job-related injuries or assaults, or when facing unfair discipline. He participates actively in lobbying and union activities, and, whenever needed, advises members on issues like compensation and worker s’rights.

Patrick is eager to learn more about collective bargaining and public sector laws and policies. He’s also interested in community struggles, such as the need for affordable housing.  

One of his recommenders and professors at SLU commented, “I remember Patrick for both his moral clarity and his curiosity. He is a great thinker and has all the qualities you might want in a leader: an extremely sharp mind, a great ability to communicate, a patient yet decisive manner, and a deeply grounded experience in the nation’s largest transit system.”

At his last visit with his inspirational friend, in the hospital, Patrick was amazed to witness him still on the phone handling union business. Although his friend’s passing was profoundly sad, Patrick remains energized by the “baton” he feels was passed to him, and he intends to run with it in the cause of unionism and labor for a long, long time!

Jasmin Sanchez is the recipient of this year’s Albert Neumann Award. Early in her life, Jasmin recalls accompanying her grandmother to appointments, serving as her translator, and witnessing how powerless and frustrated her grandmother felt when treated unfairly. As a young person, Jasmin resolved to fight for equality and justice, and to work in service to those less empowered. Starting as a volunteer with the Boys Club in New York, she helped meet the translation needs of community participants and arranged trainings and services for families.  

Community activism has been the common theme of all of her work and volunteer efforts. As one of her recommenders commented, “Jasmin is a leader because she has community followers! She has brought thousands of NYCHA residents into the movement for climate justice and [fought] to get real estate interests out of politics.”  Jasmin has mobilized around many issues ranging from employment and housing services to criminal justice reform. While at the Henry Street Settlement and Partnership with Children, she organized community projects, helping youth with afterschool or summer jobs, college preparation classes, health fairs and tenants rights education.

Through her activism, Jasmin has realized the importance of getting involved politically, and has found a new passion for her “free time”!  She’s an active member-leader of DSA, Democratic Socialists of America, and was a dedicated volunteer for the Bernie Sanders and AOC campaigns, where she took on leadership roles in hosting issue-based town halls, as well as serving as the shop steward for the AOC campaign’s union.

Another of Jasmin’s recommenders noted, “She has that blend of incredible passion and compassion, intellectual seriousness, and humility, together with humor that makes others look to her. And she demonstrates a clear-eyed understanding of the structural forces affecting her community. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see her in office one day, and it will be with a thoughtful eye on how to build movement power.”  

Nazli Tamer grew up in a secular, progressive home in Turkey, where family discussions were engaged, lively – and private. Growing up in the shadow of several coup d’états and an increasingly marginalizing government, she pursued higher education in the United States, eventually moving to the U.S. permanently in search of tolerance, respect, and opportunity.

At the University of Michigan, Nazli majored in Organizational Studies, delving deeply into analyzing how institutions and power structures function, perpetuate their values, and catalyze or suppress progress or collective power. Her most satisfying projects as an undergraduate were volunteering in the county jail, and conducting interviews with autoworkers from the early and militant days of the UAW.  

While maintaining Honors grades, Nazli spent a year conducting research on international humanitarian law, and organized students around the UN sustainable development goals. Her colleague said of her, “Nazli is unmatched in excellence. She led with words and actions, strongly influencing legislative changes. She has the unique ability to mobilize people and create long term agendas for positive change.”

Nazli spent several years in the gender equality and diversity and inclusion fields, where she conducted research and worked closely with employers to identify ways of making the workplace more equitable. She attributes her strong understanding of employers’ narratives to these experiences, giving her an edge in strategizing for winning labor campaigns.

Her expertise in communications and passion for workers’ rights led her to SEIU 32BJ, where today she directs communications for NY organizing campaigns and airports, amplifying the voices and stories of workers. Her long-term goal is to revolutionize labor communications. She hopes to equip unions with tools to broadly organize online and offline, and change the narrative about workers nationwide.

32BJ President Kyle Bragg says that Nazli “has brought new ideas and strategies to the table [and] brought to light heartbreaking stories of workers while showing they are empowered and ready to fight. The sky is the limit for Nazli.”

Within the labor movement, Nazli has found a home that helps define the true meaning of being American – the ideals of opportunity, equality, freedom and prosperity. But for many from the Middle East, the barriers and challenges are daunting. Nazli looks forward to breaking those barriers for all those who still feel invisible, and strengthening our movement to reach millions more.

Miriam Uribe Martinez is the recipient of this year’s David Livingston Memorial Scholarship Award. Since she was young, Miriam has had an acute sensitivity to the special struggles faced by undocumented workers in the USA. Her parents immigrated to California from Mexico, and found work in factories, homes, or workplaces where it was difficult to speak up about unpaid overtime or unsafe conditions. 

Her parents encouraged her to aim for college, but strapped finances and her undocumented status created tremendous challenges. Miriam credits the incredible support she received from faculty and friends at the University of San Francisco for not only her physical survival, but also for teaching her profound lessons about solidarity, dignity, and mutual aid. In college she spearheaded initiatives like “UndocuWeek” to educate the community about the diversity of the immigrant experience, and she successfully fought to create small, unrestricted scholarships for undocumented students. She also earned numerous awards at college, including for public service, for leadership, and for social justice. 

Miriam’s dream was to come to New York, and she was thrilled with the opportunity to help organize day laborers and domestic workers in Brooklyn with the Workers Justice Project, and then as a paralegal and advocacy coordinator with TakeRoot Justice. While passionate about her work, she has also learned that nonprofit work is challenging, and social justice fighters sometimes need to advocate in their own behalf! One of her most transformative experiences was on the bargaining team representing her UAW Local 2320 coworkers as they negotiated their first contract. Miriam was elected union co-chair and credits the camaraderie of the staff for their successful contract. They won many improvements which recognize the special skills and needs of workers in nonprofits, such as language abilities, reasonable workloads, mental health days, and affordable healthcare. 

One of Miriam’s recommenders noted, “Her life experiences have led Miriam to be a powerful champion for those who are undocumented, people of color, women, day laborers and all workers. While union co-chair, Miriam showed incredible poise, intelligence and judiciousness while continuing to be an advocate for workers rights.” 

Miriam now works at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which works to achieve dignity and fairness for domestic workers. She loves her new job … and is excited to see NDWA’s first union contract come to fruition as a proud member of CWA Local 1180!

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