​Our Team

​We are so grateful to be working with such inspiring individuals and cannot say enough about our amazing team! But don't take our word for it, see for yourself...

Interested in joining the team?
We'd love to have you! Check out our open positions.

TOUR GUIDE

Jay Toole

​Jay Toole is Co-Founder and Shelter Director at Queers for Economic Justice, a progressive non-profit org. committed to promoting economic justice in a context of sexual and gender liberation. Jay spearheaded movements at QEJ, which resulted in 2 written policy changes at the Dept. of Homeless Services and the City of New York. In 2006 transgender folks were ensured the right to self determine which side of the shelter system to enter, and in 2007 a policy was created for homeless queer families to be housed and sheltered together. These policies continue to be honored today, and because of Jay’s work, QEJ became the first and only LGBTQ organization to facilitate support groups for queer individuals inside the shelter system. Jay has since begun a new chapter, moving forward with her long time dream of Jay’s House. Currently she is working alongside her team to create the very first LGBTQ adult shelter in the country.

Current Tours
Queer History of the Village

TOUR GUIDE

Michael 
Higgins Jr.

​Michael is a member turned organizer at Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE). He first joined the Accountable Development Campaign, before engaging more deeply in work around public housing. He is now lead organizer within FUREE, teaching and building leadership with members around environmental justice, civic participation and further inclusion of public housing in the greater housing justice movement in New York City. Michael’s interests include language learning, history and political economy as well as organizing on housing issues and city governance over areas such as education and transportation.

Current Tours
Environmental Justice in Gowanus
Gentrification in Downtown Brooklyn

TOUR GUIDE

Lucy Piccochi

​Lucy is an ardent explorer of history, art, philosophy, politics and the places where all these intersect. She combines it all into her job as an educator at the Tenement Museum, the free public tours of art she leads at the Brooklyn Museum, and walking the storied streets of Manhattan with Social Justice Tours, as well as in her own art and musings. She’s been living in Brooklyn for 10 years, in collective houses big and small, and enjoys giving her time and art to lots of rad organizations such as Bushwick City Farm community garden and the 4th Street Food Co-op.

Current Tours
Women’s History of the Village
Protests & Riots in the East & West Village

TOUR GUIDE

Cindy Cooper

​Cindy Cooper is journalist, author and playwright who focuses on social justice. She is the founder of the Reproductive Freedom Festival and Words of Choice, theater programs devoted to raising reproductive freedom through the arts, and is the editor of Short Plays on Reproductive Freedom. She previously served as the Communications Director of the Center for Reproductive Rights, and, as a journalist or consultant has written over 200 articles about reproductive freedom for Ms. Magazine, Women’s eNews, On the Issues Magazine, In These Times, Open Society, Women in a Globalizing World, Perspectives on Women and Law, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, International History conference, elected officials and more. 

Current Tours
Reproductive Freedom in Lower Manhattan

TOUR GUIDE

Greg Baggett

Bio coming soon…

Current Tours
Rezoning & Dysplacement in Central Harlem

TOUR GUIDE

Rebecca Manski

Rebecca is an independent researcher and street level Educator specializing in the history of the Wall Street area, currently based at the South Street Seaport Museum. She first became intrigued by Lower Manhattan during her years with Occupy Wall Street’s Press Working Group. Before moving to New York to complete an Interdisciplinary Masters in Public History and Middle Eastern Studies, Rebecca lived in Palestine, doing media and advocacy work with a plethora of Palestinian organizations between 2003-2008. Having also lived the first five years of her life in Jerusalem, Rebecca’s thinking has always been informed by issues of displacement, walls, borders, liminal spaces, zones of indistinction, the Commons, and decolonization.

Current Tours
A People’s History of Immigration, from New York Harbor to Little Syria
A People’s History of Wall Street

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BLOGGER

Ash Sanders

​Ash Sanders is a writer, radio producer and climate activist. She’s writing focuses on religion and environmental issues, and her pieces have been published or are forthcoming in NRP, Rolling Stone, Narratively and elsewhere. Originally from Utah, Ash now lives in Brooklyn, and loves to hunt down wacky, weird and inspiring stories about how the borough—and all of NYC—came to be the way it is. She loves researching the hidden histories of power, people and place for the Social Justice Tours blog, and she can’t wait for the next round of tours to begin!

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FOUNDER & CO-DIRECTOR

Dan Kaminsky

​Dan was born, raised and still lives in Brooklyn, New York. From Palestine to Chiapas Mexico, labor organizing to the environmental movement, he’s been involved in organizing efforts of one kind or another throughout the majority of his adult life. Dan started giving tours as a day job to help get through school and pay rent. While doing so, he began to dream up a project to run tours about the issues of which he cared most deeply. He began to study. The more Dan studied the more he began to look at the city in new ways; seeing things he hadn't seen before, and understanding processes and trends in a new light. The more he learned, the less he realized he knew, and the more shocked he became at the stories he learned. Dan hopes to share this information and passion with all of you.

CO-DIRECTOR & CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Mandi Eberle

​Bio coming soon…