{"id":183617,"date":"2026-04-02T18:11:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/183617\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:11:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:11:36","slug":"caribbean-equality-project-leads-2026-phagwah-social-justice-collective-at-little-guyanas-annual-holi-parade-caribbean-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/183617\/","title":{"rendered":"Caribbean Equality Project leads 2026 Phagwah Social Justice Collective at Little Guyana\u2019s Annual Holi Parade \u2013 Caribbean Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Founder\t\t<\/a>\t<\/p>\n

Founder of the Caribbean Equality Project (CEP) Mohamed Q. Amin, eighth from left (front) poses with members, and celebrants after leading the 38th Annual Phagwah Parade on March 29, in Richmond Hill Queens.\n<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy Caribbean Equality Project<\/p>\n

Founded in 2015 by Mohamed Q. Amin in response to anti-LGBTQ hate violence in Richmond Hill, Queens, the Caribbean Equality Project has spent the past decade creating healing spaces. The organization supports LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and curates storytelling-based cultural programs.<\/p>\n

The organization has also addressed food insecurity and built political power through civic engagement and legislative advocacy across New York State. On Sunday, March 29, in partnership with a diverse coalition of community organizations, it proudly joined the Phagwah Social Justice Collective. Together, they colored the streets of Little Guyana during the 2026 Phagwah (Holi) Parade.<\/p>\n

The Caribbean Equality Project convened at the Phagwah Social Justice Collective with a coalition of Queens-based, South Asian, and Indo-Caribbean-led organizations. Chhaya Community Development Corporation provided housing advocacy; South Queens Women\u2019s March focused on gender equity; Jahajee uplifted Indo-Caribbean women\u2019s voices; Hindus for Human Rights advanced civil liberties; South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) supported youth empowerment; and Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM) focused on immigrant rights.<\/p>\n

The collective was joined by New York City Comptroller Mark Levine and representatives from the Mayor\u2019s Office of Immigrant Affairs and the NYC Commission on Gender Equity. The Keeping it Classic Tassa Group performed, amplifying a shared commitment to unity, safety, and inclusion for all New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s march forward together \u2014 in color, community, and justice \u2014 for a New York for all,\u201d said the group, as they took to the streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo mark this milestone, CEP was honored to share this moment with the Lavender and Green Alliance, which made history in 2016 when it was approved to march in the New York City St. Patrick\u2019s Day Parade after years of advocacy against discrimination and exclusion,\u201d shared Amin.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, both organizations embody the power of queer immigrant visibility and solidarity across diasporas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn today\u2019s political climate, the safety and dignity of LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities remain under threat. Our visibility and advocacy are acts of resistance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy marching for the passage of the New York for All Act, we take a powerful step toward protecting our neighbors and strengthening our families. We call on Governor Kathy Hochul to affirm that every person who calls our great state home deserves to live in safety and with dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis spirit of togetherness echoes CEP\u2019s broader call to keep ICE off our streets and ensure that every New Yorker \u2014 regardless of immigration status \u2014 can live free from fear and discrimination,\u201d said Amin.<\/p>\n

The Caribbean Equality Project (CEP) is New York\u2019s only Caribbean LGBTQ+ immigrant rights organization. For a decade, this grassroots organization has served Afro and Indo-Caribbean LGBTQ+ New Yorkers and Caribbean communities through advocacy for LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights, gender equity, racial justice, immigration, and mental health services. CEP uses public education, community organizing, civic engagement, storytelling, and cultural programming to end hate violence in the Caribbean diaspora.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Founder of the Caribbean Equality Project (CEP) Mohamed Q. Amin, eighth from left (front) poses with members, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":183618,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-183617","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-queens","12":"tag-queens-headlines","13":"tag-queens-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}