The ultimate character and direction of the political winds whipping around us are as yet still undetermined. But in places like New York City, there are new possibilities opening up for progressives to organize for transformative change to deepen democracy and promote justice. Last week at NYU’s Greenberg Lounge with Partners for Dignity & Rights, we hosted a critically relevant panel conversation with movement leaders from Jackson, Mississippi, Barcelona, Spain, and Budapest, Hungary. Each panelist spoke to their experiences with progressive movements that seized and worked to wield governing power at the municipal level, reflecting on the myriad challenges and opportunities of such political moments. The conversation addressed everything from the need to take independent narrative power seriously to the capacity crunch that can accompany trying to organize inside and outside strategies simultaneously. We look forward to sharing more insights from the conversations sparked at this event in the weeks and months ahead!
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New Bill Seeks to Guarantee Lease Renewals for NYC Small Businesses
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New legislation supported by The Action Lab was introduced on Monday to cap commercial rent increases and guarantee lease renewals for small businesses across New York City. The Small Business Rent Stabilization Act (S8319/A5568A) would create a Commercial Rent Guidelines Board to set maximum annual rent increases for commercial tenants and provide lease renewal rights with a default 10-year renewal term.

SALSACTIVISM
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Sen. Salazar, AM Gallagher team up to stabilize rent for small businesses
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Sen. Julia Salazar and Assembly Member Emily Gallagher introduced a bill called the “Small Business Survival Act” in an attempt to prohibit unaffordable rent hikes and guarantee lease renewal for small businesses across New York.
Application Live! Turkey Global Delegation
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The Action Lab is organizing a learning delegation to Istanbul, Turkey from April 12-18, 2025, bringing together 30 labor organizers, communication strategists, creators, strategic funders, and movement leaders to build power and challenge oligarchy.

Understanding the Conservative Movement and Homegrown Screening
Understanding the Conservative Movement and Homegrown Screening
On Thursday, February 5, we co-hosted a screening and Q&A of the powerful new documentary Homegrown at NYU.

Hands Off NYC Training
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The Solidarity Organizing Initiative team collaborated with Hands Off NYC to put on a massive training for close to a thousand New Yorkers on Saturday, January 31.










