10 Organizations Creating a More Equitable World

Since the late 1800s, the US has been a place where thousands of immigrants could fulfill the American dream. Unfortunately, this is no longer the reality, and many Americans struggle to build a life for themselves. Prices for education are consistently rising, making it harder for the average student to avoid debt. The cost of housing has surged. Healthcare has nearly become a luxury, leading many to forgo essential treatment to prevent crippling amounts of debt. Prisons have become overcrowded, leading to inhumane living conditions. The effects of Systemic racism cause Americans of color to face immense disadvantages in finding housing, jobs, health care, and safety. 

Despite all this, there are organizations out there pushing to be agents of change, fighting to make America a better, more equitable country for all its citizens. Here are ten organizations you can get involved with

Rise Up

Since 2006 Rise Ups’ mission is to transform the lives of women and girls. They aim to strengthen the leadership roles of women in their communities to advance in change. They are a network composed of 500 leaders. They have benefited 7 million girls creating an impact in about 100 laws and policies in places like Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the US.

NAACP

Founded in 1909, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is one of the oldest and largest civil rights organizations based in the US. With 2,200 units across the country and more than 2 million activists, the NAACP is fighting to uphold the political, economic, social, and educational rights of people of color and eradicate discrimination based on race. 

ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union addresses free speech, human rights, racial, and criminal justice. With hundreds of attorneys and thousands of volunteers, the ACLU fights for the rights and freedoms of every race, gender, and sexual orientation. Over the past five years, the ACLU has fought for reproductive rights and blocked over 300 laws aimed against them. The ACLU has notably taken a stand against the 2015 fight for freedom to marry, the 2017 transgender ban, and the 2017 muslin ban.  

Black Youth Project

The Black Youth Project fights for a world where all black people have economic, social, political, and educational freedom. They educate on how culture influences the decisions youth make in health, sex, and politics. In 2014 they released “agenda to keep us safe,” a policy document that asked for the demilitarization of law enforcement. They are based in the Chicago area but are also spread in cities across the country and provide social activism training to young people.

KIND

Kids in Need of Defense primarily advance laws around children’s rights in the US. They also provide legal and social services to immigrant children who have crossed the border alone. KIND fights to protect vulnerable children separated from their families at the border. They have referred over 20,000 children and have 670 partners. 

Center for Reproductive rights

Established in 1992, the Center for Reproductive rights envisions a world where everyone participates as an equal member of society regardless of gender. They also ensure that everyone has access to quality reproductive healthcare and advocate for women’s rights to their bodies. The Center for Reproductive rights has strengthened laws and policies in over 50 countries and succeeded in groundbreaking globally about healthcare, including birth control, safe abortion, and prenatal and obstetric care. 

Human rights campaign 

The HRC is the largest LGBT advocacy group and LGBT political lobbying organization. They provide resources on coming out, LGBT-related healthcare topics, LGBT workplace concerns, and transgender issues. The HRC has lobbied for the passage of anti-discrimination and hate crime laws such as the Matthew Sheppard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. While the primary healthcare issues they focused on centered around the HIV/AIDs epidemic, recently, HRC has expanded to addressing discrimination in healthcare settings for LGBT patients. 

Lambda Legal

The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund is a US-based civil rights organization that advocates for LGBT communities and those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Lambda has a national network of volunteer attorneys whom aid in legal pursues across the country.  They specialize in aiding cases that advance the rights of LGBT people and those with HIV when it comes to employment, housing, public accommodation, and the military. In 2017 following the transgender ban by the Trump administration Lambda took action in fighting the policy. 

Black Lives Matter

Although founded in 2013, BLM began to gain significant popularity after the death of George Floyd in 2020. This organization is present in the US, UK, and  Canada. Their primary mission is to fight and end white supremacy and build power in local black communities. They center around counteracting violence against black individuals and strive to create a community full of joy, imagination, and innovation for black people. Black Lives Matter protests have influenced Police reform in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, Portland, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center

Aiding immigrants who cannot afford legal aid Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center represents low-income immigrants. They accept clients worldwide and have served 40,000 people from over 77 countries since 1987. Las Americas has excellent services such as helping individuals gain asylum, immigration relief, and deportation defense. Their main goal is to fight for immigrants’ rights to remain with their families in the US.