Maritza Silva-Farrell

For the past seven years she has served as the Deputy Director and Campaign Director,  as well as the coordinator of Real Affordability for All, the largest affordable housing coalition in the City. During her time at ALIGN, Maritza played a critical role in the Caring Across Generations campaign, helping to secure $1.2 million in funding for undocumented and low income seniors to access home care and the Universal Pre-K campaign which brought the program to many children across New York City. She originally joined ALIGN to prevent Walmart from developing in East New York, leading a four-year fight that successfully halted the company’s plans and brought a union supermarket to the neighborhood. Previously, Maritza worked with the Long Island Progressive Coalition to coordinate the Yes, In My Back Yard (YIMBY) campaign, increasing affordable housing throughout the entire island. A native of Ecuador, Maritza earned her BA in journalism from the Central University of Ecuador and later completed a BA degree in communications from SUNY Old Westbury, where she organized with the New York Public Interest Research Group and United Students Against Sweatshops. She has also worked with Long Island Jobs with Justice on issues related to youth, labor, and immigrant rights where she combined her passion for documentaries, journalism and activism by producing short workers’ rights documentaries.