LOCAL NEWS
Making a diff erence
How the 2021 David Prize winners are supporting New Yorkers
BY HAEVEN GIBBONS
The 2021 David Prize
awarded $1 million dollars
to fi ve New York
City-based visionaries within
the child care, education and
youth services and immigration
sectors to support their creative
solutions to some of the city’s
most pressing challenges.
The David Prize is an
initiative to support up-andcoming
change-makers in
New York City. The third
annual David Prize open call
is currently open. New Yorkers
can apply or nominate someone
through Dec. 21.
The 2021 David Prize
winners are already making a
big difference in the city.
On Oct. 19, Jaime-Jin
Lewis, Five Mualimm-ak,
Cesar Vargas, Fela Barclift and
Felicia Wilson each received
$200,000 to transform their
plans into lasting initiatives
that will directly impact New
Yorkers.
Jaime-Jin Lewis, founder of
Wiggle Room, a tech company
that builds tools to stabilize
and grow Family Child Care
businesses, is expanding the
organization’s reach to support
more childcare providers with
the support from the Prize.
“This win is for all early
childhood advocates and
activists in NYC who have
been working on this issue for
decades,” Lewis said. “This
prize signals that childcare
is a critical issue our city is
facing, and it tells New York
that it is time to invest in the
creative solutions to build up
this early care industry and
provide overdue support for
the educators who are raising
our next generation.”
Family Child Care businesses
often provide childcare to poor
and working class communities,
communities of color, children
ages 0 to 3 and children whose
guardians work non-traditional
hours. Lewis is fi ghting for a
more durable childcare system
in New York City.
“The prize has helped more
people realize the critical state
of child care in our city,” Lewis
said. “This is a huge mission,
(Above) Fela Barclift, a recipient of the 2021 David Prize, helps kids at her preschool, Little
Sun People. (Right, top to bottom) Jaime-Jin Lewis, Five Mualimm-ak, Felicia Wilson and
Cesar Vargas also received the prize for their change-making work in New York City.
and this is something that is
long overdue in our city. This
prize has really given us the
visibility to build and grow
strategic relationships across
the sector.”
Five Mualimm-ak works to
bridge the gap of services for
justice-impacted-young-adults
serving multi-year community
supervision sentences. Five
runs the Youth Anti Prison
Project which houses, trains
and employs youth throughout
their entire community
supervision sentence.
With the Prize, Five is
launching two homes: one
for young women and one for
young men ages 18-25. The
homes will provide a landing
pad for young people as well
as businesses that provide
apprenticeship programs for
the youths.
Mualimm-ak said creating
housing for youths creates
opportunity. With the support
of the Prize, Mualimm-ak will
be able to provide safe spaces
for young-adults and give
kids the start they need to be
successful in life.
“They’re (the David Prize)
empowering New Yorkers,”
Mualimm-ak said. “Through
supporting me, they’re
supporting so many people.”
Fela Barclift, also known as
“Mama Fela,” is the founder of
Little Sun People, a preschool
in Bed-Stuy that has been
a community pillar for four
decades. The school fosters
self-esteem and positive
identity through an Afrocentric
curriculum.
With the Prize, Barclift will
expand Little Sun People to
support students from Pre-Pre
K and beyond, with plans to
build an elementary school. She
also plans to codify the culture
and curriculum of Little Sun
People for other schools and
educators and write a book
of affi rmations for African
descendant children.
Felicia Wilson advocates
for youth and young adults
transitioning out of the New
York City foster care system
to receive the resources and
support needed to thrive.
She plans to build out her
new non-profi t organization,
What About Us with the Prize
support.
DEXTERITY PRODUCTIONS LLC
What About Us, a Brooklynbased
non-profi t, works to
support people ages 13 – 25
aging out of the foster care
system through helping them
navigate housing, fi nancial
management, education and
employment. The nonprofi t
connects youth with alumni of
the foster care system who have
successfully aged out.
Cesar Vargas, who provides
competent legal counsel to
immigrants serving in the U.S.
Armed Forces, is building a
city-wide network of agencies,
nonprofi ts and legal providers
to further support immigrants
and their families who face
the complexity of navigating
immigration and military law.
This year, The David Prize
team and a diverse, multi sector
group of expert advisors chose
22 fi nalists from thousands
of submissions sharing ideas
in areas including child care,
education and youth services,
human rights and criminal
justice, immigration justice,
homelessness, economic
development and sustainability,
healthcare and creative
expression.
PHOTO BY COOTCHILL NELSON
PHOTO BY COOTCHILL NELSON
PHOTO BY COOTCHILL NELSON
DEXTERITY PRODUCTIONS LLC
Due to the extraordinary
circumstances over the last
two years, the other 17 fi nalists
also received support from
The David Prize in the form of
industry connections, fi nancial
support, further sources of
funding and other assistance.
The 2021 fi nalists include:
Yin Q, Troy Walcott, Sharon
Richardson, Shams DaBaron,
Ravi Ragbir, Michael Angelo
Roberson, Liz Jackson, Kristin
Wallace, Ken Lewis, Chris
Hackett, Gladys Jones, Gabrielle
Prisco, Darnell Benoit, Carmen
Mojica, Caridad De La Luz,
Alexis Mena, and Ana Maria
Martinez de Luco.
24 December 16, 2021 Schneps Media