By Christine Stoddard | cstoddard@queensledger.com
Senator Salazar and Assemblyperson Emily Gallagher honor six Brooklyn women for community activism and leadership.
A group shot of Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblyperson Emily Gallagher with the honorees. Photo by Christine Stoddard.
On March 2, New York Senator Julia Salazar (District 18) and Assemblyperson Emily Gallagher (Assembly District 50) honored six women with records of community service and ties to Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, and East New York. These “women of distinction” included Trina Rose Cutugno, Vivian Legions, Lina Lee, Dana Rachlin, Lauren Comito, Hannah Anousheh, and Tami Green. The honorees joined Senator Salazer and Assemblyperson Gallagher with their colleagues and loved ones in an intimate gathering for remarks and light refreshments. The event was scheduled to coincide with Women’s History Month.
Here is a bit about each of these accomplished local women:
In addition to being an artist and filmmaker, Trina Rose Cutugno is a Greenpoint advocate for home care, accessible and affordable housing, disability inclusion, and health justice.
Vivian Legions is a longtime resident of Berry St.-South 9th St. Houses (NYCHA) in Williamsburg and President of the Tenant Association. She advocates for the residents she represents by organizing community events, distributing food and PPE during the pandemic, and fighting for quality-of-life improvements.
Lina Lee is the co-founder and executive director of Communities Resist, a legal services organization that represents the most vulnerable tenants and helps to organize tenant associations. She is a longtime tenant lawyer.
Gallagher and Salazer with honoree Dana Rachlin. Photo by Christine Stoddard.
Dana Rachlin is the co-founder of We Build The Block, which supports communities facing over-policing, mass incarceration, and gun violence, as well as numerous other innovative public safety, community and civic programs over the years.
Lauren Comito is currently the branch manager at the Leonard Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) in Williamsburg and is the executive director of Urban Librarians Unite (ULU), a library workers’ advocacy organization.
Hannah Anousheh helped found the East New York Community Land Trust, an organization dedicated to preserving affordability for future generations and providing a vehicle to create generational wealth, and serves as its Campaigns Director.
Tami Green is a community liaison and fitness professional with a passion for community, public safety, and quality of life. She gained attention for claiming an abandoned house in East New York and fighting investors for possession in a years-long struggle.
