Sayu Bhojwani

Immigrant leadership advocate, speaker and writer Sayu Bhojwani works to make American democracy more inclusive. Bhojwani founded the New American Leaders Project (NALP) in 2010, to foster leaders in immigrant communities and help them run for public office. As New York City’s first Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, Bhojwani worked with immigrant advocates to pass the New York’s earliest legislation to protect the rights of domestic workers and to increase access to translation and interpretation services. She also championed the establishment of the New York’s first Immigrant History Week, which is now institutionalized as Immigrant Heritage Week and celebrated widely by city residents and institutions. Bhojwani is the founder of South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) and holds a doctorate in politics and education from Columbia University, where her research focused on immigrant political participation.