The membership of Street Vendor Project kindly invites you to our first annual gala, Street Heroes: 21 Years of Vendor Power!
Join us to celebrate NYC’s heroic street vendors and honor 21 years of Street Vendor Project’s organizing, advocacy and legal services on behalf of the 20,000 vendors who bring our city streets to life.
Enjoy a night of delicious and diverse street food prepared by SVP members including include Jackson Heights favorite Birria Landia; Afghan comfort food Nansense; Bangladeshi street food Tong; long-time SVP friends: Sam’s Falafel, Royal Grill Halal Food, DF Nigerian, and Evelia’s Tamales; Flushing staple Mrs. Wang and Ecuadorian ceviche (Cevicheria Jorguito) among others.
Also on deck: custom inspired cocktails by award-winning beverage consultant Shannon Beck of Full Proof Beverage; entertainment provided by DJ Mickey Perez and our MC, Jaeki Cho of Righteous Eats; dancing; a caricature artist, a raffle – all surrounded by the beautiful art of the Queens Museum. Guests will have access to view the NYC Panorama
The evening will honor our 2022 Vendor Power Award recipients for their on-going support of NYC’s smallest businesses:
- Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson
- New York State Senator Jessica Ramos
- Morgan Stanley
- The Yemeni American Merchants Association
If you purchase a sponsorship package, we will be in touch to coordinate all details. In-kind and custom sponsorships also available by request from streetvendorprojectevents@gmail.com
Event artwork by Guo Qing Wang, a portrait artist and SVP member vendor in Times Square.
This event is strictly 21+ and older. Festive attire please.
Street Heroes Sponsors:
Street Heroes is presented with generous support from Morgan Stanley, Zevv, North Peak Capital, Justin Pollack, Daniel Gallancy, Mark Fenster, Brooklyn Brewery, Tito’s Vodka, and Vox Media.
Street Heroes Host Committee:
Clay Williams / Laurie Woolever / Nathan Thornburgh / Niki Russ-Federman / Ora Wise / Krishnendu Ray / Justin Pollack / Kelebohile Nkhereanye / Fa-Tai Shieh / Sari Kisilevsky / Cindy VandenBosch / Andrew Gustafson / Karla Henriquez / Cheikh Fall / Elizabeth Murray / Julie Torres-Moskovitz / Mandira Ghai / Sharrod Fredericks / Maxwell Schiano
About Street Vendor Project:
The Street Vendor Project (SVP) is a 2,800+ member-strong organization founded in 2001 that champions the rights of street vendors as small businesses to earn a living and contribute to the culture and life of New York City. Through direct legal representation, small business development training, grassroots organizing, leadership development, and strategic legislative advocacy, SVP builds power and community among vendors. The Street Vendor Project is a part of the Urban Justice Center.
Our work centers on creating a diverse community of street vendor leaders, uniting people across race, class, gender, language and cultural backgrounds. Key organizational accomplishments reflect the power of our membership, legal and organizing teams. In the last two years alone, we have:
- Advocated to pass local legislation to increase the number of vendor permits for the first time in nearly 40 years
- Co-founded the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition, bringing together immigrant workers from across New York State to win a first-in-the-nation $2.1 billion Excluded Workers Fund
- Empowered vendors through our Small Business Consultation and Community Education Programs, which have connected 1,500 vendors to resources on public health, immigration, vending compliance, financial and digital literacy, marketing, and job opportunities.
Throughout the decades, and most recently in the trying days of the Covid-19 pandemic, street vendors have heroically stepped up to feed their neighbors, assist local organizations with food distribution, and organize for equitable relief alongside fellow frontline service workers in NYC and beyond. Your support allows the Street Vendor Project to continue to build and sustain our work.
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