Faith in Action: Demanding Dignity for Our City’s Most Vulnerable 

This October, Riverside is stepping boldly into public life with our partners to hold our leaders accountable and to lift up the voices of those too often ignored. Together, we will stand with NYCHA tenants, fight for affordable housing and mental health, and live out our call to put faith into action.

Sunday, October 12 – Town Hall with Zohran Mamdani
After worship, join us in South Hall for a town hall conversation with Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, a prophetic voice and public servant in New York City. He’ll share what it means to struggle for equity and dignity in our city, and take questions from our community.

Following the town hall, Metro-IAF tenant leaders will lay out their policy agenda on affordable housing and mental health—two urgent concerns facing NYCHA residents. For decades, they have fought for safe homes and accountability from city leadership. Today, their demand for bold, systemic change is louder than ever—and Riverside is called to stand with them.  .

Sunday, October 19 – Bus to Queens College 
The following week, Riverside will travel together on a free bus to Queens College, where Metro-IAF organizers will press mayoral candidates on housing, mental health, and safe living conditions. This invite-only event is a rare opportunity to show up shoulder-to-shoulder with New Yorkers leading the fight for dignity and justice.

👉 Limited tickets available. Register for the October 19 bus by October 10 ONLY if you are certain you can attend: https://www.jotform.com/form/252525588949172 .

This is what solidarity looks like. This is how Riverside shows up: listening deeply, standing with the poor, and holding leaders accountable to our city’s most vulnerable. 

Saturday, October 25 – The People’s Agenda: People Over Profit! 

We are living at a pivotal moment. Racism, economic inequality, war, and the climate crisis threaten lives and the future of our planet. The time to act together is now.

Join us for a day-long summit that will bring together faith leaders, community organizers, and movement builders for panels, workshops, and strategy sessions rooted in one shared conviction: People Over Profit.

We gather in the footsteps of prophets and freedom fighters, knowing the road to liberation is long—but never walked alone. Through solidarity and shared struggle, victory is possible.

This is more than an event—it is the launch of a coordinated movement across labor, faith, immigrant rights, environmental, anti-war, housing, health care, and education movements to demand a different future: one where our lives, our communities, and our planet come first.

👉 More info and registration: https://www.trcnyc.org/event/the-peoples-agenda-summit/

October 10 and 11, Visibility Through Voices II: Celebrating Lesbian Leadership 

Join our partners, Masc Identified Lesbians of Color Collective for Visibility Through Voices II, a two-day, intergenerational conference honoring International Lesbian Day (Oct 8) and National Coming Out Day (Oct 11). Centering the lives and leadership of Black lesbians, lesbians of color, and masculine-of-center women, the gathering offers workshops, keynotes, and cultural celebrations to nurture, empower, and connect participants.

Despite increased LGBTQ+ visibility, these women face systemic barriers, cultural erasure, and marginalization. This conference builds networks, amplifies voices, and transforms insights into action. Over 200 in-person and 1,000 online participants will join a radical reclamation of voice, space, and visibility—and your support can make it possible.

Info and Registration here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/visibility-through-voices-tickets-1647139872699

Click Here to Learn More & Register

Countdown to Closing Rikers

Tragically, Rikers claimed another life last week – Jimmy Avila’s death is another painful reminder that Rikers cannot close soon enough.

We need your help to collect 1,000 postcards to the Mayor elect to support the Closing of Rikers!

This fall, we’re organizing a new effort to gather postcards in support of closing Rikers – this time, our goal is to gather 1,000 postcards to deliver to the Mayor Elect (whomever that is) on International Human Rights Day (December 10th), urging them to make Closing Rikers a top priority.

The Freedom Agenda created a powerful video that captures how New Yorkers will feel when Rikers is finally closed. You can find and share the video on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Email msj@trcnyc.org to volunteer in postcard writing efforts.

Save the Dates for these upcoming events:

Metro-IAF Mayoral Forum
Sunday, October 19, 2025

The People’s Agenda One Day Summit:
Saturday, October 25, 2025
Find more info and registration here:
https://www.peoplesagenda2025.org/