Christine Yvette Lewis, a Trinidadian labor organizer and Ninaj Raoul, a Haitian immigrant rights advocate, are 2024 recipients of the Just Brooklyn Prize. The Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation awarded each of these Brooklyn leaders with a $20,000 grant in a ceremony on October 30 at the Barclays Center, honoring their decades of work supporting immigrant communities and organizing for change in Brooklyn.
The Just Brooklyn Prize, in its second year, is granted to five local champions who have worked quietly but steadfastly to make their communities stronger, fairer and more just.
“We realized early on, especially during and after the pandemic and the racial justice protests, that there were a lot of individuals doing amazing work in their communities, and we wanted to create a prize that brought a spotlight to them, giving them the visibility and giving them the platform to say: This is who I am and this is what I do,” said Gregg Bishop, Executive Director of the Jose and Clara Tsai Foundation Social Justice Fund.
Ninaj Raoul, a champion for Haitian refugees
Ninaj Raoul co-founded Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees (HWHR) with Marie Lily Cerat in 1992, after several trips to the Guantánamo Bay detention camp, working closely with Haitian immigrants intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1990s. The organization provides legal screenings and advocates for employment authorization while addressing delays and disparities in processing work permits for Haitian refugees. Through participatory action research, community organizing, and legal action, HWFHR empowers refugees to advocate for their needs and protect their rights.
“Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees is a Creole space where refugees can come and self-advocate. We believe it’s important to have impacted people in leadership. Our organization is staffed by those directly affected,” Raoul said.
Born in Chicago to Haitian parents who migrated to the U.S. in the 1950s, Raoul moved to New York in the mid-1980s. HWHR spearheaded a grassroots movement that led to the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act in 1998, allowing Haitian immigrants from Guantanamo and those who arrived before 1996 to obtain green cards. This was a significant achievement, as many Haitian asylum seekers had fallen out of status.
“Ninaj’s advocacy and dedication to the Haitian community is legendary. Not everybody knows this, but she provided shelter to Haitian refugee women in her own apartment. Her leadership is needed more than ever. She is truly a shero,” said Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of the Asian American Federation.
Christine Lewis, a labor rights advocate and a cultural force
Christine Yvette Lewis, a Trinidadian-born nanny and labor rights advocate, has spent more than three decades fighting for domestic workers’ rights. After immigrating to New York in 1989, Lewis brought her background as a teacher into the demanding world of domestic work. She often faced exploitation, earning as little as $350 per month, far below the legal minimum wage at the time. Her experiences fueled her determination to improve working conditions for immigrant women like herself. In 2001, she joined Domestic Workers United and played a key role in the campaign that led to the 2010 passage of the New York Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, providing legal protections to more than 300,000 domestic workers across the state.
Also Read: Christine Lewis Had Few Rights as a Nanny. She Decided to Fight for a Better System.
Beyond her advocacy, Lewis is also an artist and educator involved in writing, poetry and music. She contributed to the book Alien Nation, published in 2021, and continues to work as a nanny, using her skills to teach and nurture the children in her care. Her leadership extends to DWU’s ongoing initiatives, such as providing legal assistance and food distribution to immigrant workers, demonstrating her commitment to empowering her community.
“Christine is a worker leader and a multi-discipline performance artist who pulls from her calypsonian roots and skill as a steel drum player, spoken word artist, author and poet to get the message out and build power for domestic workers,” said Randy Peers, President and CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
“In this moment where Haitian refugees are under attack in this country, from the all the anti-Haitian rhetoric that’s going on around the election, it’s really good to have our voices lifted,” Raoul told Documented.
“I am grateful to the Just Brooklyn Prize. As long as it takes, I’ll be here to do the work,” Lewis said
Raoul told Documented that she plans to use the funds to establish a pension fund for employees at the Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees. Lewis will use her share to reimburse herself for the months she used personal funds to cover Domestic Workers United’s office rent and other expenses.
The three other 2024 recipients of the Just Brooklyn Prize are Carolyn A. Butts, Founder and Director of African Voices Communications Inc and Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, Chino Hardin, Co-Executive Director, Center for NuLeadership on Human Justice and Healing and Derrick Hamilton, Co-Founder, Family and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted.
Applications are open for the 2025 edition.
