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Class Action Board of Directors
As of January 2008
Donna Johnson, Board President
As the middle child of seven children I grew up in a blue collar working class family. My parents each worked two jobs and taught us that you had to work for what you want. I presently work at the University of Massachusetts as a bookkeeper as well as having two part time jobs. As president of the University Staff Association I represent the clerical and technical staff employees so being a part of Class Action seems like a natural fit. I work daily to ensure that my members’ rights are protected and it is my hope to bring to this board the views and concerns of the working class.
Jerry Koch-Gonzalez, Vice-President & Treasurer
I grew up in La Habana, Cuba, until our family moved in 1961 to Queens, New York City, when I was eight years old. I witnessed how differences were treated and sought to assimilate. As a young adult I experienced myself as living on the bridge of identity between middle class and working class, Latino and white, heterosexual and gay, Catholic and atheist/Buddhist. I have observed both the personal aspect of how class background affects my capacity to dream and the societal impact of wealth concentration. How can we create safe space for all? I seek to bridge connections among all people seeking greater equity. I work now as a consultant. My primary interests are promoting Compassionate/Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and dynamic self-governance (Sociocracy).
Janet Kniffin
Raised in a small, rural Connecticut town, I grew up with a sense of privilege. However, upon entering a classic New England prep school, I quickly recognized that privilege was relative. I've married into (and divorced) the owning class, married into (and divorced) the low-wage working class, and have, at one time, lived as a single parent below the poverty line. The prep school experience, in the first class of girls in an all-boys school, provided firsthand experience in the complex intersections of classism, sexism, and racism and set the foundation for an undergraduate education in women's studies. For the past 30 years, I have been a professional feminist working for social justice and equality. I am currently the Executive Director of the Center for New Words in Cambridge, MA where we are committed to strengthening the voice of progressive and marginalized women in society.
Betsy Leondar-Wright
As a little girl in a middle-class family in a mixed-class suburb of New Jersey, I never understood why kids whose dads did different jobs went to different churches, socialized separately, and were tracked into different  classes at school. These questions propelled me into community organizing for economic justice, and to helping launch United for a Fair Economy in its first decade. With other UFE people, I co-authored "The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the US Racial Wealth Divide" (2006). Since writing my book "Class Matters: Cross-Class Alliance Building for Middle-Class Activists" (2005), I have led more than 50 workshops on working together across class differences. Thanks to Class Action and its growing network, I get to work with other people who see class dynamics everywhere they look.
Rose Sackey-Milligan
I grew up on small island in the Caribbean in the 50s, and my parents always
told me that I grew up in prosperous times, a time when they could afford to
build their first home and own 8 acres of land. This was a huge deal! With
tremendous personal sacrifice, they sent me (and all my 6 siblings)to one
the best schools on the island, setting the foundation for my career as a
socio-cultural anthropologist. I've worked as a researcher and applied
anthropologist for 15 years in social change philanthropy as the former
Director of Programs of the Peace Development Fund. As an evaluator, I
served as the director of Special Programs and Senior Evaluator at the
National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH).
My 25 year service to social
justice currently continues at the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society
as its Social Justice Program Director. I'm a writer and educator, and my
love of travel has taken me to many countries in Latin America, Cuba, the
Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and the U.S., including Hawaii.
Maynard Seider
I'm from a pro-union working class Jewish family in New Haven, CT. Attending public schools with the excitement of the Civil Right Movement around me, it seemed natural to study that field and to pursue it as a graduate student. I got more into class issues through my interest in organized labor and an experience working in a factory for a year, being involved in my local union and in strike activity. Now a teaching at Mass. College of Liberal Arts in North Adams (MCLA), I'm involved in a research project looking at the structural and educational factors that impact students of different classes as they make decisions relating to their educational and occupational careers. As a new board member, I'm impressed with Class Action's work in popular education about class and fighting classism.
Felice Yeskel, Executive Director, Clerk of the Board
I come from a Jewish, working-class family from New York City’s lower east side, and starting at the age of 5 attended an "elite" school on 68th and Park Avenue where I noticed class differences constantly without any language to talk about it. Along with Jenny Ladd, I founded Class Action because I thought real attention to issues of class and classism were seriously lacking. My commitment to economic inequality led me to co-found United for a Fair Economy and co-author, with Chuck Collins, the book Economic Apartheid in America. My current work for social change includes directing Class Action, leading workshops on class and classism, and appearing as a guest on radio shows.
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