Hands Off NYC and Unidos-MN Awarded Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship
Two Groups Organizing Their Cities and Neighbors Receive Award for Commitment to Protection of Community
For Immediate Release: May 18, 2026
For More Information Contact: Neal Rosenstein: (929) 232-2729
Today, (Monday, May 18th) Type Media Center and the Puffin Foundation announced that both Hands Off NYC and Minneapolis-based Unidos-MN will receive the Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship this year. They cited the two grassroots organizations’ commitment to the protection and empowerment of their local communities.
The Puffin Foundation and Type Media Center are the mutual sponsors of the award, which is given annually to an individual or organization who has challenged the status quo through distinctive, courageous, imaginative, and socially responsible work of significance. The awards will be officially presented during a ceremony at Type’s annual gala being held at The Museum of the City of New York this evening.
Hands Off NYC is a broad coalition of over 200 labor unions, faith leaders, and community groups organizing to protect against, preempt, and prepare for federal incursion in New York City.
“The Puffin Prize has always recognized people who understood that citizenship is not passive—that democracy is something we build, not something we possess—and we are humbled to join this lineage of people,” said Hands Off NYC Co-Director Hae-Lin Choi. “At Hands Off NYC, we’re building something simple and powerful: a city full of everyday people who know their rights, know their neighbors, and organize locally. Block by block, borough by borough, that’s how democracy gets defended. And we are just getting started.”
Unidos MN is a grassroots organization that builds power with Minnesota’s working families to advance social, racial, and economic justice for all.
“At this defining moment for Minnesota and for our country, still feeling the rippling effects after our communities have endured fear, violence, and profound injustice under Operation Metro Surge, we are reminded that democracy is not guaranteed; it is built and defended by people. It is a practice. In Minnesota and across the country, we have witnessed the consequences of unchecked power: families torn apart, communities living in fear, and loss of lives. But we have also witnessed something stronger: resilience, courage, and a collective refusal to be silent,” said Emilia González Avalos, UNIDOS-MN Education Fund Executive Director. “At Unidos MN, we are organizing in our neighborhoods, advocating in the halls of power, and standing shoulder to shoulder across race, zip code and immigration status to build a future of shared prosperity and justice. It is our profound honor to receive the Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship, and to carry forward a legacy of leaders who have turned moments of crisis into movements for lasting justice and human rights.”
“In the face of proto-fascist scapegoating and repression, Minneapolis reminded us that our fight must be sustained, not episodic; that to win, we must deploy strategy and working-class power at the point of production; and that we should always bring music, song, and beauty to the struggle for our highest humanity. If that names the spirit of the struggle, its practice requires a steadfast commitment to grassroots organizing and principled solidarity with those most targeted and marginalized—an ethic long captured in the labor movement’s enduring truth that an injury to one is an injury to all,” said Johanna Fernandez, an associate professor of history at Baruch College and Puffin Prize nominating committee member. “We honor Unidos MN, whose grassroots organizing with immigrant communities has been foundational to Minneapolis’s broader struggle and Hands Off New York for embodying this same tradition of grassroots leadership, coordinated action, and unwavering solidarity with those most systematically targeted.”
“We are honored to recognize the inspiring, collective mobilization by community members across Minnesota and New York City by awarding Unidos MN and Hands Off NYC with the 2026 Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship,” said Neal Rosenstein, President of the Puffin Foundation. “Both organizations’ continued fight against unjust federal attacks on our country’s institutions and peoples, and their ability to organize neighbors through mass mobilization show us how to confront fear with hope and terror with solidarity. They represent wide-ranging and diverse communities who have stood up to protect our freedoms in the face of increasing incursions in this authoritarian environment.”
“Both Unidos MN and Hands Off NYC consistently demonstrate their commitment to grassroots, collective action, standing with and for immigrants and immigration justice. In recent months we have witnessed the strength of these organizations, learned from their strategies, and stood alongside them,” said E.Y. Zipris, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and Puffin Prize nominating committee member. “Now, we are honored to support their vital work by awarding Unidos MN and Hands Off NYC the Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship which we hope will further amplify how local action can drive meaningful change.”
As ICE escalates its operations around the country, Unidos MN and Hands Off NYC have stood at the center of the fight for justice. In defending immigrant communities, they are defending the republican freedoms that all Americans cherish,” Bhaskar Sunkara, President of the Nation and nominating committee member for The Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship. “Their work epitomizes a concept that is at the core of solidarity: an injury to one demands a response from all. I’m very pleased that we’re honoring their work.”
The Puffin Prize awards $100,000 to its recipients, with the intention of encouraging them to continue their work and to inspire others to challenge the prevailing orthodoxies they face in their careers. The prize was first established in 2001 and has since been awarded to distinguished recipients including Dolores Huerta, Heather Booth, Colin Kaepernick, and Amy Goodman.
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