Previous | Next :: Bhairavi Desai the leader of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance : 64th St and 11thAv : NYC | September 8, 2007, 12:07 am

It was uplifting to be around Bhairavi Desai the leader of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, I found it and so did the drivers. She is a surprising person to be the leader of this strike action, cabbies in New York are 99% male she is a diminutive soft spoken, graduate educated woman from India, but she seems to have won their trust and respect. She certainly raised their spirits as she joked and chatted with the striking drivers outside the strike HQ. Asked by the AP about the success of the strike she said:

"You know, the numbers can be spun as much as the opposition wants, but the reality is, the waiting lines speak for themselves" , referring to people forced to stand in line for taxis in midtown Manhattan and at LaGuardia Airport.

It's that attitude that made her one of 17 people recognized by the Ford Foundation in its 2005 Leadership for a Changing World awards, where she was among those cited for bringing "not only concrete gains to their communities but a determination to stand for justice."

She also told the AP yesterday:

"Through taxi drivers, I have learned the true meanings of honesty and humor, forgiveness and fairness, the maturity to handle difficulties with grace, and, at all times, the importance of dignity".

Cheers Jez XX