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Below is some information about the people who are helping to organize the October2011 Movement.
Maria Allwine is a long-time community organizer and peace and justice activist. She has participated and been arrested in many nonviolent direct actions against the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, was Co-Chair of the Maryland Green Party and is a member of various Baltimore City activist groups, including the Pledge of Resistance Baltimore, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference-Baltimore and the MD Coalition for BGE Reregulation. She has participated in actions and trials with Witness Against Torture and has also worked on single-payer health care and LGBTQ rights. In 2010 she worked with State Sen. Jamie Raskin to introduce legislation in the Maryland General Assembly to make bullying in the workplace illegal and testified for the bill in committee. In July 2011, Ms. Allwine was a key organizer in the events around the US Mayors Conference and the passage of the anti-war resolution by that body. Ms. Allwine has run for state and local office on the Green Party ticket, including Green Party candidate for Governor of Maryland in 2010. She is currently devoting all her time to the October2011 Coalition.
Ellen Barfield is a full-time peace and justice activist who serves on national boards or committees of War Resisters League, Veterans For Peace, School of the Americas Watch, and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Inher hometown of Baltimore, MD, she co-founded and directs the Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter of Veterans For Peace,
and works with the civil resistance group Baltimore Pledge of Resistance as well as Nicaragua and Palestine solidarity groups. She has traveled with multiple peace delegations to Iraq, Palestine and Nicaragua. Ellen served in the US Army 1977 to 1981, and has a B.S. in Animal Science.
Ellen Davidson's 30-plus years of activism include being on the staff of the New York-based Guardianradical newsweekly and working with Covert Action Information Bulletin, the American Committee on Africa, the North American Committee on Latin America, and the Palestine Aid Society, among other groups. She currently works on The Indypendent,the newspaper of the NYC Indymedia Center, and is on the boards of Ecosocialist Horizons and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions-USA. She is active with the War Resisters League and Veterans For Peace, and she uses music in her political work, singing with Harmonic Insurgence and working with the People's Music Network and the Peoples' Voice Café.
Margaret Flowers, M.D. is a pediatrician and mother of 3 teens from Baltimore, MD. Margaret left medical practice in 2007 to advocate full-time for single payer health care. She served as Congressional Fellow for Physicians for a National Health Program and is on the board of Healthcare-Now. She is co-director of ItsOurEconomy.us. She has organized and participated in protests for health care, peace and economic justice which have included arrests for nonviolent resistance.
Tarak Kauff is a longtime antiwar and social justice activist. From the Vietnam War to today's occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, he has consistently opposed U.S. wars and occupations. He served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper from 1959 to 1962 and is a member of Veterans For Peace. He is a founder and editor of the bimonthly Woodstock International and the quarterly War Crimes Times progressive newspapers and plays a leading role in VFP&r's Direct Action Group, most recently organizing veteran-led civil resistance to war at the White House on December 16, 2010, and March 19, 2011. He also led two actions at the National Archives in which a small group of vets spent several days displaying banners drawing attention to violations of the U.S. Constitution, which they are sworn to protect. A strong supporter of self-determination for the Palestinian people. He is a member of the Hudson Valley's Middle East Crisis Response and took part in the 2009-10 Gaza Freedom March in Cairo.
Udi Pladott is a 3rd generation Israeli, 2nd generation Sabra, and 1st generation Israeli-American. After spending the first part of his life in Israel, including over 4 years serving in the IDF, followed by undergraduate studies, he left Israel and migrated to the U.S. He has written many lines of software code, as well as words and music, but recently realized that all this will amount to very little unless we stop everything and pull this country back from the brink. He is a founding member of the Richmond, VA Israeli-Palestinian listening-circle, and a proud member of Healthcare-NOW!
Ward Reilly was a member of the active-duty GI Resistance to the Viet Nam War, 1971-1974, in the First Infantry Division...(Received 2 Special Courts Martial in 1972/73 for desertion, sentenced to Hard Labor)...Honorably Discharged in 1974. Joined VVAW in 1972, and VFP in 1998. Principle organizer in scores of local, regional, and national anti war actions since 2001.(15 before "Shock & Awe" took place) Organizing member of "Camp Casey", "The Veterans Survivors March", SOA, & "Winter Soldier-Iraq & Afghanistan", among others. Originally from Chicago, married for 36 years, retired as government Construction Inspector in 2000. Full time organizer and activist for 11 years.
Lisa Simeone is a proud loudmouthed feminist and rabble-rouser. Her husband wonders whether her love of natty dressing might interfere with her participation in the revolution. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
David Swanson is the author of "War Is A Lie" and "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union." He blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org and works for the online activist organization RootsAction.
Dennis Trainor, Jr is a writer, performer and filmmaker and the host of the video series Acronym. Previously, he served as a writer/ media consultant for Dennis Kucinich's 2008 presidential campaign and has been a featured video editorial commentator for Veracifier & The Uptake. His documentary on U.S. foreign policy, Manifest Destiny's Child, was released in January 2011.
Rev. Dr. Bruce Wright - has a doctorate in Ministry and Master's in Pastoral Psychology. He is a licensed addictions and domestic violence counselor. He is a Baptist Pastor and Director of Refuge Ministries who serves on the Executive Committee of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign. The Refuge has been around for 20 years and, the Poor People's Campaign for 15 years. The Campaign has 120 organizations of poor and homeless that are members including the Refuge. He is part of St. Pete For Peace and the Homeless Coalition, as well as the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. A musician and a poet, he has 2 children, one in College.
Kevin Zeese, J.D. is a lawyer from Baltimore, MD with more than 30 years experience of writing, speaking and advocacy across a broad range of issues around peace, justice and democracy. His recent organizing efforts include the Sounds of Resistance concert and protest against Bank of America and Stop These Wars/Expose the Lies/Free Bradley Manning last December and March. He is the co-director of ItsOurEconomy.us,the director of ComeHomeAmerica.us, and on the steering committee of the Bradley Manning Support Network. He also serves on the boards of Velvet Revolution and Common Sense for Drug Policy.
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