Caribbean Equality Project

Caribbean Equality Project is a community-based grassroots organization dedicated to empowering, advocating for, and celebrating Afro-Caribbean and Indo-Caribbean lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals and their families throughout New York City. Established in 2015 and headquartered in Queens, the organization fosters an ecosystem of culturally grounded, trauma-informed support for Caribbean immigrants and asylum seekers navigating complex immigration processes, displacement, and social marginalization.

The organization provides an expansive array of direct social services and mutual aid initiatives. Its Food Justice Program coordinates regular culturally responsive grocery and fresh produce distributions at Parkside Plaza in Brooklyn, supporting immigrant households facing food insecurity. Through the Trans Justice Unit, the agency delivers specialized case management, emergency housing support, and legal asylum navigation for transgender and nonbinary Caribbean immigrants escaping persecution and violence in their countries of origin. In addition, the Unchained healing circles offer therapeutic peer support and mental wellness spaces tailored to Caribbean cultural contexts.

Cultural celebration and civic mobilization are central to the organization’s community building. The initiative produces the annual Queeribean Crossings symposium examining queer Caribbean history and resistance, organizes the Phagwah Collective for Indo-Caribbean inclusion, and hosts an annual LGBTQ Community Iftar during Ramadan. The group also coordinates high-visibility contingents in New York City Pride and Queens Pride parades. Community members in need of food assistance or asylum support can reach out online or by phone. Supporters can get involved by volunteering at food distributions, attending cultural festivals, or donating online.