The Women Behind AARP NY’s Disrupt Disparities Partnerships

In celebration of Women’s History Month, AARP NY is highlighting three women who represent our partner groups in the #DisruptDisparities movement and were an integral part of our events throughout the launch year in 2018.  We partnered with the NY Urban League, NY NAACP, Hispanic Federation and Asian American Federation to release a series of policy briefs highlighting disparities in health, economic security, and livability and these women were at the forefront of our events throughout New York, helping us shed light on the disparities, focused on New York’s 50-plus populations in these multicultural communities.

Arva Rice, President & CEO of the NY Urban League embodies the mission of her organization, which is a leader in changing how underserved African-Americans are educated, employed and empowered across the 5 boroughs of New York City. When discussing why the NYUL partnered with AARP NY, Arva states, “It was really important for the New York Urban League to serve as a partner with AARP on their Disrupting Disparities study because it is so important for us to remember our seniors, and for us to be able to have concrete data that supports what we already knew, that our older Americans, our older New Yorkers are suffering, and that we need to be able to support them both in policy and in action.”

Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director, Asian American Federation, leads a non-profit membership

organization that works with a network of pan-Asian community service agencies in the fields of health & human services, education, economic development, civic participation, and social justice.  At the

Disrupt Disparities launch event, Yoo discussed a personal connection to the initiative, “My parents are seniors and one of the things that we talk about all the time is them having enough independence to live their life.”

 

 

Diana Caba, Senior Director of Economic Empowerment, Hispanic Federation, leads the organization’s efforts to increase the financial security of Latino families within their network of social service and nonprofit organizations.  When she co-hosted a Disparities event with AARP NY at Hostos Community College, Caba confirmed, “We know disparities exist, but we don’t know at what level, and this report really highlights that. Among city residents 50 and over, Hispanic incomes are barely half of that of non-Hispanic whites on average.”

The empowerment of all these women, when it comes to taking on issues that affect AARP NY’s multicultural communities, are a testament to how they have helped continue the conversation and work towards necessary policy recommendations that address these disparities within New York’s 50-plus population.

During Women’s History Month, we celebrate their leadership and tireless advocacy on issues that matter!