The Elmont Cultural Center & SILO's Journey with the Transit Equity Bill

#WALI Members Unite to Rally for Transit Equity on Long Island

Back in May, individuals from The Self-Initiated Living Options and The Elmont Cultural Center joined together to advocate for New York State representatives in Albany to invest in improving transportation on Long Island. They advocated for significant improvements on Long Island's public transportation infrastructure, namely bus shelters, lighting, increased schedules, and better connections that enhance riders' experience and accessibility. Two members of We Are Long Island -- Marilyn Tucci and Mimi Pierre-Johnson -- brought two incredible organizations together to maximize their collective voices to fight for an empowered, fair, and just Long Island -- for all.

Interview with Mimi from The Elmont Cultural Center:

As the President of the Elmont Cultural Center, Mimi Pierre-Johnson organized a bus trip to Albany to connect the voices of Long Island with New York State leadership. Amongst a myriad of other issues, Mimi has been advocating for a better transit system on Long Island, which encompasses a reallocation of the existing transportation funding. Public transportation funding, deriving from the state and federal government, typically goes towards widening and fixing the roads. However, such projects often disproportionally go through the Black and Brown communities on Long Island, leading to heightened congestion. Labor is often an underrepresented community within the transit equity discussion -- as many of the construction workers working to repair and expand the roads do not have a car or cannot afford one. So, they must rely on an inadequate public transportation system in order to construct Long Island's roads.

Mimi, along with others in the Transit Equity movement, wants to gain momentum and support for the coalition, as they move to make pushes when the new legislative session begins in January of 2025. To accomplish transit equity in a sustainably, Mimi expressed that we should reimagine how we move around Long Island, as it would be an incredible step forward.

Interview with Marilyn from SILO:

Marilyn Tucci, the Empowerment Advocacy Department Director at Self-Initiated Living Options (SILO), has been advocating for transit equity on Long Island for over forty years. A central component of our conversation highlighted the inefficiencies and faults of Long Island's public transportation system. The public transportation systems in both Nassau and Suffolk counties lack cohesion, especially for people who cannot drive or access a car. Taxis and services like Uber often are not disability friendly, which often forces the disabled community to rely on public transportation options like public bus and train systems.

One of the many critical issues with Long Island's public transportation lies in the lack of connectivity between Nassau and Suffolk County. The public bus systems in each county exist as separate entities, so you have to transfer buses when crossing the county lines. Between Shirley (Suffolk County) and Deer Park (Nassau County), Marilyn once had to navigate six different buses in order to make the trip. A lack of bus shelters, proper signage, adequate lighting, and sidewalks makes existing bus stops unsafe for riders. Marilyn's ongoing work in the transit equity space presses necessary advancements that will create a safe, accessible, and efficient transportation system for all Long Islanders, especially for people with disabilities.

Crucially, the environment -- roads, sidewalks, and other types of infrastructure -- on Long Island are not built to withstand the amount of traffic they endure. So, in many ways, a stronger public transportation system would benefit everyone on Long Island.

We Are Long Island empowers individuals and organizations to unite as a movement to combine our power and raise a collective voice. Discussions within the We Are Long Island community helped highlight to Mimi how much work Marilyn has done regarding transit equity for the disabled community. A combination of conversations and connections brought these organizations together as they advocated for transit equity that benefits everyone on Long Island.

"We are an unstoppable force of solidarity. We commit to this vision together."

#WeAreLongIsland #SomosLongIsland #NouSeLongIsland #NenawunSewanakeit

Resources on Transit Equity: