Dream.Org holds inaugural gala in NYC to honor key players in environmental and justice reform

On Oct. 16, Dream.Org hosted its inaugural “We, The Dream” gala, honoring changemakers in justice and environmental reform.

The event was held at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.

“This evening you are going to hear from community leaders, artists, writers, elected officials, dreamers, and doers all of whom are counting on you to keep fighting for the American Dream,” said Rachel King, Chief People Officer at Dream.Org, who served as the emcee of the gala.

“Generation after generation we expanded this idea of freedom, this call, ‘We The People’ in order to form a more perfect union. From the start we knew it wasn’t perfect, we knew there was still work to be done because it never applied to everybody equally. But we have fought for it to be so” said Nisha Anand, CEO of Dream.Org. “I believe that each generation we become freer than the last, and now we’re watching our rights be taken away. That American Dream, my family came here for, is getting farther and farther away for a lot of us, and one election alone won’t solve it, we have work to do.”

This year’s honorees included Sheriff Eric S. Higgins, who was presented the Dream Future Award by Tamron Hall; Jessica Jackson, who was presented the Dream Legacy Award by Dr. Topeka K. Sam; and Leah Thomas, who was presented the Dream Maker Award by Camila Cabello.

“If we’re going to make a difference in the criminal justice system, we have to have organizations like Dream.Org to push change,” said Higgins.

“Black women’s voices and legacies matter,” Thomas said during her acceptance speech. “I didn’t want to be a part of any environmental movement that didn’t prioritize Black lives and the lives of people of color.”

Highlights of the event included a virtual appearance by Kim Kardashian, as well as appearances from Marcia Gay Harden, Rep. Justin J. Pearson of the Tennessee Three, TONY-nominated actor Constantine Maroulis and pop artist Kalomira. 

The event was sponsored by Truist Bank, the National Football League, The Just Trust, Queens Guard, Climate Power, Liquid Death, Farmgirl Flowers and Tony’s Chocolonely. Sing Harlem gave a captivating musical performance, and later on in the night, Pearson, Maroulis and Dream.Org executives performed a spoken word segment, reciting “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes.

For information about the gala, visit dream.org/initiative/wethedream-gala/.