Initiating Committee
We are a group of committed political activists who believe that progressive change is possible in New York and the rest of the country. If you would like to be added to our public supporters list, please fill out our supporters form.
Larry Beinhart: Larry is a writer, best known for Wag the Dog (the book that became the movie). He's a Fulbright Fellow, winner of the Edgar Award, the Gold Dagger, the Grand Prix de Literature Policier, and Emmy Awards. His work has been listed as among the thousand great books of the millenium, by the Wall Street Journal as one of the five best books on public relations, and among the New York Times notable books of the year. His articles and op-eds have appeared in the NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the International Herald Tribune and Esquire. He ran a commercial film company, worked as a political consultant and as a ski instructor.
Kathleen Chalfant: Kathleen is an award-winning actor of stage, television and film. She is an advisor to Theaters Against War and a signer of the Not In Our Name statement of conscience. Kathleen was Artist in Residence at the Weill College of Medicine of Cornell University for 2005 – 2006, was the Beineke Fellow at the Yale School of Drama in the spring of 2006 and is a member of the Board of Advisors of MSF/Doctors Without Borders.
Gillian Farrell: Gillian is an actor by trade, a teacher by chance and a director by necessity. She has produced, directed and acted in dozens of plays, movies and videos, often on political subjects. She recently produced and directed the 3 part play “The Trials of Sojourner Truth,” thirty-seven episodes of “In Your Face” a political, talk/music show for Free Speech TV, and numerous Samuel Beckett plays. She is the author of “Alibi for an Actress” and “Murder and a Muse,” novels based on her time as a private investigator in New York City when she worked on such high profile trials as the Preppie Murderer and the Bernie Goetz case.
Saru Jayaraman: Saru is the co-director of ROC-United, a national restaurant workers' organization, comprised of restaurant worker organizations across the country.
Al Ronzoni: Al has been a progressive Democratic activist for over a decade. He has worked on numerous political campaigns and with groups such as Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, Abolition 2000, TrueMajority.org and MoveOn.org. Al also blogs at Daily Kos, MyDD, and Democratic Underground. He is currently one of the leaders of Progressive Democrats of America's 14th Congressional District Chapter in New York, one of PDA's largest and most active chapters.
Jonathan Tasini: Jonathan is the executive director of Labor Research Association. He ran for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in New York. For the past 25 years, Jonathan has been a union leader and organizer, a social activist, and a commentator and writer on work, labor and the economy. From 1990 to April 2003, he served as president of the National Writers Union (United Auto Workers Local 1981).He was the lead plaintiff in the successful Supreme Court case, Tasini vs. The New York Times, the landmark electronic rights case that took on the corporate media's assault on the rights of thousands of freelance authors.
Yayoi Tsuchitani: Yayoi is an active member of Act Now, Downtown Independent Democrats, Peace Action NY, Progressive Democrats of America, United For Peace and Justice and the Village Independent Democrats. A Democrat. Independent. Progressive. Committed.
Melissa Van:Melissa has been active in the peace movement since 2002. She was
the Executive Director of Peace Action New York State from 2004 until 2007.
