Pabitra Benjamin

Pabitra Khati Benjamin (she/they) is an executive leader and proven strategist. She is a proud Dalit (untouchable caste) queer immigrant who has been organizing for over 25 years.

 Pabitra’s social justice path began as a youth activist in Wisconsin in the mid-1990s. Major accomplishments in her early work include leading regional field teams on the electoral campaigns to stop the ban on same-sex marriage. She went on to grow a coalition of over 200 organizations nationally to campaign at the intersection of immigrant rights and criminal justice.

 Pabitra served as Executive Director of Adhikaar, the only Nepali-speaking worker’s center in the US. Under her leadership, Adhikaar strengthened its infrastructure from $850,000 to $3 million to invest in workers and expand its base-building in New York City, regionally, and nationally. During her tenure, Adhikaar wrote one of the first sectoral bargaining bills in the country, launched the New Jersey Domestic Workers Bill of Rights campaign, and protected hundreds of thousands of Temporary Protected Status holders from deportation.

Pabitra is recognized for her people-centered leadership and strategic organizing skills. She has facilitated work with unions organizing nail salon workers from New York to California, and cross-sectorally for immigrant worker rights. She is co-founder of Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP), a national collaborative that builds power, solidarity, and leadership among African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Arab/Middle Eastern, and Asian Pacific Islander immigrants.

Pabitra practices Buddhist mindfulness and integrates healing justice in her facilitation, team building, coaching, and organizational development practices. Growing up in a mixed race, caste, class, and international family, Pabitra’s passion for organizing and social justice grew from her intersectional experiences. Pabitra is lucky to be a parent to the sweetest and sharpest child, who teaches her daily about patience, hope, and love in community building.