The New York City community activist Jon Kest has died at the age of 57. The head of the Brooklyn-based New York Communities for Change, Kest was a longtime advocate for social justice, including his last campaign to unionize car washers and other low-wage workers. Kest suffered a tragedy just over a month ago when his daughter, Jessie, was killed by a falling tree during Superstorm Sandy. Kest died this week after a bout with cancer. In a statement, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said: “It’s not an exaggeration to say that there have been few efforts to empower poor and working people in New York State in the last 25 years that haven’t borne his imprint. New York has lost a truly selfless champion of social justice.”