On Being an Activist

I became an activist after going back to college in 1988 and discovering the double-whammy of changes in how financial aid is awarded and the rising cost of tuition was going to nail me good. As every activist knows, pocketbook issues are incredible motivators and I soon found myself involved in student government at Saginaw Valley State University. Student organizing led to involvment with the United States Student Association, which in turn led me to organizing on:

consumer issues and single payer health care for Citizen Action, disability rights for the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, health care for all and a patients' bill of rights for Families USA, civil rights and liberties for the American Civil Liberties Union, criminal justice reform for The Justice Project, and global conflict resolution for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation.

I am a Maxist!
One of the most rewarding and beneficial experiences I've had as an organizer is being part of the spring 1991 class of The Midwest Academy. The Academy is one of the nation's oldest and best known schools for direct action organizing. After a week of study with Steve Max (who co-founded the Midwest Academy with Heather Booth), I proudly decalred myself a Maxist and have never forgotten that one person can change the world.

Take Action on these Critical Issues

NEW! Express Your Concerns with the US decision to go to war with Iraq by asking WTF? Visit http://www.wtfcampaign.com

Free Speech - "Free speech is intended to protect the controversial and even outrageous word; and not just comforting platitudes too mundane to need protection." (General Colin Powell)

• Oppose the "Flag Desecration" Constitutional Amendment! - American Civil Liberties Union
• Join the Blue Ribbon Online Free Speech Campaign!
  

Death Penalty - "People are more than the worst thing they have ever done in their lives." (Sister Helen Prejean)

• Support the Innocence Protection Act -- The Justice Project Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform

Civil Rights and Liberties - "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. " (Benjamin Franklin)

• Fight Discrimination Against Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Workers! - American Civil Liberties Union
• Stop the Government Plan to Mine our Privacy! - American Civil Liberties Union
• Title IX Is Under Attack and We Need Your Help - The Feminist Majority

Weapons of Mass Destuction - "You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." [Albert Einstein]

• Secure Loose Nukes Now or Pay the Real Price Later - The Nuclear Threat Reduction Campaign
• Stop "Usable" Nukes - TrueMajority.com

Health Care for All/Patients' Bill of Rights/HMO Reform - "It is unconscionable that we ration health care by the ability to pay. Health care should be a given." (Kathryn Anastos, M.D.)

• Support Fair Prescription Drug Prices - Families USA
• The AARP Rx Pledge - AARP

Disability Rights - "Congress acknowledged that society’s accumulated myths and fears about disability and disease are as handicapping as are the physical limitations that flow from actual impairment." (Supreme Court Justice William J Brennan)

• Increasing Federal Medicaid Payments Would Help People with Disabilities - United Cerebral Palsy
• Preserve the Rights of the Disabled! - American Civil Liberties Union
• Urge Congress to Reauthorize the Assistive Technology Act! - United Cerebral Palsy