NICE (New Immigrant Community Empowerment)
Bryan Pu-Folkes, Co-Founder
New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) is a cross-cultural organization using advocacy, organizing and public education to ensure that new immigrants are active, informed and influential in civic, governmental and public affairs. Central to its mission is challenging the access gap between recent immigration communities an government by seeking systemic solutions to improving immigrants’ voting rights full language access, health care and workplace protections under local, state and federal laws, NICE’s membership cuts across all continents.
NICE emerged in 1999 to enable new immigrant communities to become active in civic affairs. Since then, the organization has mobilized a broad base of support from diverse communities through its campaigns. A Government Access and Accountability Campaign seeks to institutionalize a uniform system for meaningful dialogue between local representatives and is seeking legislation to require that city council members conduct district needs surveys. NICE circulates report cards detailing the voting record of local representatives and is seeking legislation to require accountability for how taxpayer funds are spent locally. NICE also provides political education and youth leadership workshops. Additionally, NICE sponsors town halls and other community-led projects, testifies before the New York City Council and other government bodies on immigrant concerns.