Lisa Fithian (born 1960 or 1961) is an American political activist and protest consultant.
Early life and education
Fithian was born in 1960 or 1961[1] and grew up in Hawthorne, New York. During high school, she founded the underground newspaper The Free Thinker. She began her work in the mid-1970s as a member of her high school's student government, where she served as president.[2] She continued advocacy work as president of the Skidmore College Student Government Association. She graduated from Skidmore in 1983.[3]
Activism
As a member and coordinator of the Washington Peace Center for seven years during the 1980s, Fithian organized hundreds of events and demonstrations on a range of issues, locally and nationally, and helped lead an extensive anti-racism process that transformed the Peace Center into a multicultural organization.[4]
In the early 1990s, Fithian joined the labor movement, bringing her experience to the Justice for Janitors campaigns in Washington, D.C., Denver, and Los Angeles.[5] She continued her work for social, economic, and environmental justice, providing training and organizing support to many of the global-justice mobilizations around the world since the shutdown of the World Trade Organization Ministerial in Seattle in 1999.[6]
After Hurricane Katrina, Fithian worked with the Common Ground Collective in New Orleans.[7]
Fithian previously served as a National Steering Committee member of United for Peace and Justice, a coalition of over 1,000 local and national groups working to end the war in Iraq.[8] She was also a member of the national team of Extinction Rebellion.[9][10]
In 2024, she worked with Columbia University students protesting for divestment from Israel, advising students who launched an occupation of Hamilton Hall on April 29.[11][12] The New York City Police Department labeled her a "professional agitator" in footage released during a press conference.[13]
Writings
Fithian has written throughout the years, including the 2007 book anthology What Lies Beneath: Katrina, Race, and the State of the Nation by South End Press.[14] She wrote the 2019 book Shut It Down: Stories from a Fierce, Loving Resistance.[15]
References
- ^ Keh, Andrew; Rosman, Katherine (May 1, 2024). "The 63-Year-Old Career Activist Among the Protesters at Columbia". The New York Times.
- ^ "About Lisa | Organizing for Power, Organizing for Change". Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Harkinson, Josh. "Meet Professor Occupy". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ "Who We Are". Washington Peace Center. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ French, Mary Ann (April 14, 1995). "TAKING IT TO THE STREETS". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "How We Shut Down the World Trade Organization". YES! Magazine. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ ""Shut It Down: Stories from a Fierce, Loving Resistance": Lisa Fithian Reflects on Decades of Protest". Democracy Now!. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "Protesting Against War with Iraq". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "Shut It Down: Veteran Organizer Lisa Fithian Offers a Guide to Resistance in Era of Climate Crisis". Democracy Now. September 6, 2019.
- ^ Deaton, Jeremy (August 2, 2019). "The Radical Philosophy of Extinction Rebellion". PBS.
- ^ Keh, Andrew; Rosman, Katherine (May 1, 2024). "The 63-Year-Old Career Activist Among the Protesters at Columbia". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ "Columbia Threatens to Expel Students Who Took Over Building". Bloomberg.com. April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ "Confirmed Professional Agitator Present At Columbia University". Vimeo. New York City Police Department. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ "What Lies Beneath: Katrina, Race, and the State of the Nation (publisher's overview)". February 15, 2007. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
- ^ Publicist page at Net Galley for Shut It Down https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/166698
External links
- United For Peace and Justice
- Lisa Fithian at IMDb
- Bunn, Austin (November 16, 2003). "Them Against the World, Part 2". The New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
- MacEwan, Valerie. "Steal This Book Review (archived)". Pop Matters site. Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- York, Byron. "Cindy Sheehan's Radical Strategist (archived)". National Review. Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.