Unity For Equality Founder and Chairman, Neil Trivedi

Unity For Equality was founded in 2016 to lend a helping hand to communities. The mission is
to work with individuals of all origins to help build economically stable and sustainable communities. Unity for Equality helps those who are below the poverty line, students, the elderly, minorities, immigrants, and other members of the community who are compromised due to financial, age, health, lack of employment, or lack of education issues by providing services that enable such individuals to improve their quality of life by either and/or

(i) assisting high school age students to enroll in public school;

(ii) helping students complete their college applications;

(iii) granting college scholarships to worthy applicants;

(iv) providing job placement services;

(v) providing financial counseling to families or individuals in a financial crisis;

(vi) providing assistance to college students stuck in student debt

(vii) providing assistance to legal immigrants to integrate into the community;

(viii) providing assistance to seniors to navigate the health insurance market; and

(ix) providing any and all other lawful services, assistance, and guidance to families and individuals who are struggling.

We Empower Magazine got an exclusive interview with the Founder and Chairman Neil Trivedi.

Please tell us about Unity For Equality, we would love to hear about it.

Neil Trivedi: Unity For Equality was founded in 2016 in response to critical issues raised around the tremendous barriers to social services, social justice, and economic life faced by New York City’s fast-growing diverse communities. Unity For Equality is a not-for-profit community-based organization. Our mission is to empower and integrate underserved communities and other immigrants into civic and economic life.

Unity For Equality’s target diaspora is composed of communities and immigrants. We assist individuals and families in the areas of advocating for social justice, boosting civic engagement, educational opportunities, healthcare access for all, senior support services, employment placement services, financial counseling, and connecting them to various benefits. All of Unity For Equality’s programs are free and are provided by culturally diverse competent staff members.

What feedback have you received so far from those who receive services from the organization?

Neil Trivedi: The feedback we received the most from our members consisted of two things, the first being our yoga program that we kept running due to the pandemic. We understood that the health of every individual was important, that we keep everyone in shape, and make sure that we are educating individuals on nutrition.

The other being our work delivering hot meals to seniors as well as those who are still unable to get groceries due to financial hardships during these hard and pressing times of COVID-19. In 2020, Unity for Equality distributed over 4,000 face masks to health care workers. In 2021, we aspire to help and assist many more individuals and communities who were negatively impacted by the pandemic.

What do you enjoy most about the work that you do?

Neil Trivedi: The thing I enjoy the most about my work is serving others and being able to uplift those struggling in poverty and being able to make a difference in communities globally. I also enjoy listening to people to be able to hear the issues and being able to work with others to bridge the divide and to be able to unite people from different racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.

My job has always been about putting others before myself and being able to create better opportunities with my team for those who do not have opportunities. Because everyone deserves an opportunity to make their lives better. Everyone deserves to live their life without the fear of going to bed hungry, without the fear of not having enough money to fund their education, and without the fear of not being able to provide a comfortable life for themselves, their family members, children, and loved ones.

I personally believe that everyone deserves an opportunity to broaden their professional and educational horizons and become better citizens for their communities so that they can use their skills to further help those affected by the misfortune of poverty. Unity for Equality aims to positively impact lives, not just in one state, but globally.

Currently, we have ongoing chapters in different parts of the world such as India, Morocco, Egypt, Liberia, Bangladesh and we aspire to expand to many more countries in the upcoming months.

How do you feel about making a difference in the world?

Neil Trivedi: I feel I make a difference by not only bringing people together but making sure that I listen which is important as well as understanding what people are going through to be able to act upon a certain issue right away. For the above all the most important reason I feel I make a difference is because of the great team I have at Unity For Equality, they are ones that motivate me every day to keep going.

The team at Unity For Equality are individuals from different parts of the world from different genders, ethnicity, opinions, religions, and age which is important because bringing people together is the start in making a difference.

What are you currently working on?

Neil Trivedi: Something we are currently working on is a major issue that everyone talks about but does nothing to solve, which is the student loan debt crisis, solving that is a major task we took on immediately. I stand by the fact that education is a human right and not a privilege. Unity For Equality is currently taking upon Student Loans and aiding in paying them off releasing the load and burden on students who are financially burdened.

I have witnessed students working 2–4 jobs just to pay off their student loans. Looking at students who want to go to college but do not because they don’t have the financial means to do so that is where the second task comes in to be able to provide scholarship opportunities to those who wish to attend college to obtain the knowledge they need to live out their dreams and to put their goals into action.

Going to college shouldn’t be for the top one percent but it is time that college should be free for those who are unable to afford it. Unity For Equality is honored in the work of not only providing scholarships but to lessen the financial burden on students.

Are there any calls to action you would like to share with our readers at this time?

Neil Trivedi: The only call to action there is at the moment is to say everybody deserves a chance, everybody has a responsible role to play. We all do better when we help each other.

You can either contact us today at [email protected] or make a donation to play a role in making a difference. Stay tuned on our social media platforms for more updates on our online fundraising projects.

Facebook: @therealunityforequality

Instagram: @unityforequality

LinkedIn: Unity for Equality

Twitter: @unityforequalit