Community organizers Alice Pawlowski and Angelita Soriano recently traveled to the Big Apple to share their No Data Centers Hobart message.
The Hobart women were invited to New York City to take part in an alternative event to the 2026 Met Gala, both happening May 4.
This year’s Met Gala, an annual fundraiser held in support of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, was sponsored by billionaire Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon.
Soriano and Pawlowski have been two of the leaders who have protested the location of any Amazon data centers at 61st Avenue and Colorado Street.
Soriano said she and Pawlowski traveled to New York City to share their story about their fight against Amazon and the city of Hobart.
Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun took to his personal Facebook page to criticize the women’s trip to New York City and the alternative gala, sentiments he reiterated during an interview with the Post-Tribune.
“So many Hobart residents are struggling, and while we are working here to deliver relief through programs like the energy efficiency initiative and the elimination of the garbage bill, they are taking lavish trips to New York City and walking red carpets,” he said.
“I also find it hypocritical to attend a union-supported event while protesting a development projected to create 6,000-8,000 union jobs for skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen, jobs that help put food on the table and support their households.”
Soriano said she and Pawlowski weren’t looking for fame or notoriety.
“We’re looking for our voices to be heard because we matter,” Soriano said.
Organizers of the alternative Met Gala decided to make a Met Gala of their own to show those affected by injustices, she said.
“And if that means calling out billionaires in one of the biggest stages, so be it,” she said.
Hours before the Met Gala, hundreds of workers, organizers and advocates gathered in the Meatpacking District in downtown New York for the Ball Without Billionaires, a worker-led fashion show designed in contrast to the one at the museum.
Organizers included the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Athena Coalition Teamsters, the Strategic Organizing Center, current and former workers from Amazon, Whole Foods, the Washington Post, Starbucks and Uber.
The ball’s message was straightforward: While the 2026 Met Gala’s theme is “Fashion Is Art,” the workers’ counter-theme was “Labor Is Art.”
Soriano and Pawlowski both got the opportunity to walk the catwalk at the Monday event, Soriano wearing an outfit designed by SALTEYE, whom she termed an up-and-coming designer and makeup artist.
Pawlowski sported an outfit she put together herself, which included a bright orange T-shirt with the No Data Centers Hobart logo, hat and sunglasses.
“We are extremely excited to be selected to represent Hobart and hopefully gain some real ground with this spectacular opportunity,” Pawlowski said.
For Soriano, the trip was an opportunity to bring awareness to her group’s cause.
“It’s a different way to advocate. It’s not just showing up at meetings and talking behind the scenes. This was me stepping out of my comfort zone and showing what’s going on. We don’t think development belongs in that location,” Soriano said.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
