Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ) is an advocacy organization focused on neighborhoods in the southern section of the Bronx borough of New York City. It defines itself as “guided by a prophetic faith” in its programs, which include “political education, spiritual formation, and youth and community development and organizing.”  ¹

YMPJ runs services to help Bronx residents file taxes and secure entitlement benefits through aiding them in the filling out of government applications, and to help migrants fill out forms and obtain legal representation. ^{2 3 4}

Background

Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice is located in the Bronx, New York. It was established by activist Alexie Torres-Fleming in 1994 to combat what she perceived as the “social injustice of municipal disinvestment” in the area. She began her activist work in the early 1990s by organizing prayer groups and visiting drug houses with them, which allegedly led drug dealers to attack a church. In response to this, she held a rally of 1,200 people to show support for the cause. The turnout convinced her to launch a formal organization. ⁵

Activities

Starting in 2014, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice has opened multiple food markets in the borough to establish local food production and transform urban areas into environmentally friendly parks. It successfully convinced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) to divert $1.8 billion to the reconstruction of the Sheridan Expressway to eliminate traffic and create a more walkable city. ⁶

YMPJ runs services to help Bronx residents file their taxes and secure entitlement benefits by filling out government application forms, and to help migrants fill out forms and obtain legal representation. ^{7 8 9}

It is also committed to environmentalist efforts in the area, including fighting against pollution, shuttering industrial sites, and leading projects to extract litter from the Bronx River with the New York City Department of Sanitation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization. ¹⁰

Financials

According to the 2022 tax return of Legal Services NY Bronx Corporation, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice is a 501(c)(3) organization. However, the listed tax ID number failed to bring up the group when searched for in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) database as of August 2024. ^{11 12}

Leadership

As of 2024, David Shuffler was working as the executive director of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice. Its board of directors was comprised of NYC Department of Buildings lawyer Orlando Rodriguez, retired building manager Cedric Hercules, fundraising and development officer for Riseboro Lisandra Lamboy, agency relations officer for Catholic Charities Lakisha Morris, and David Shuffler. ¹³

1. “About.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/about/.
2. “Tax Services.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/programs/tax-services/.
3. “Entitlement Benefits.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/programs/entitlement-benefits/.
4. “Immigration Services.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/programs/immigration-services/.
5. “Mission and History.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/about/mission-history/.
6. “Mission and History.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/about/mission-history/.
7. “Tax Services.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/programs/tax-services/.
8. “Entitlement Benefits.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/programs/entitlement-benefits/.
9. “Immigration Services.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/programs/immigration-services/.
10. “Mission and History.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/about/mission-history/.
11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). LSNY Bronx Corporation. 2022. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
12. “Tax Exempt Organization Search.” Internal Revenue Service. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/.
13. “People.” YMPJ. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.ympj.org/about/people/.