New Partnership Moves Class Action Forward

Class Action’s staff and Board of Directors are excited to announce that we are teaming up with Inequality and the Common Good, a program of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS). 

The Program on Inequality and the Common Good, led by Chuck Collins, nurtures a number of national projects addressing economic inequality and the wealth divide—including the Working Group on Extreme Inequality, Wealth for the Common Good, the online publication Too Much, and Billionaires for Wealthcare.  Individually, these projects, like Class Action, have their own identity: programs, website, constituents, and donors.  Together, they create a supportive, day-to-day activist community—sharing space, ideas, technology, camaraderie, and strategies. An expert on U.S. inequality, Chuck Collins co-founded United for a Fair Economy with Felice Yeskel and served as Class Action’s program fellow in our early years.

Increasing our Effectiveness

After experiencing a number of economic and organizational challenges during the past two years, Class Action explored new ways to increase our effectiveness and further our mission.  IPS emerged as a movement leader well-positioned to move our work forward. A national, multi-issue, movement-support organization, IPS’ motto is “Ideas Into Action for Peace, Justice, and the Environment.” This vibrant partnership will enable both organizations to bring a fuller continuum of expertise and resources to our constituents and supporters, and to connect with broader audiences who are invested in economic and social justice.

Expanding Our Impact

Class Action will continue to provide workshops, trainings, and consulting on class, classism, and race and class intersections nationwide.  Class Action will coordinate a network of associate trainers—a cross-class, cross-race/ethnicity, dynamic team led by co-founder Jenny Ladd—offering a range of workshops, pairings, and perspectives.  In addition, we will continue to update and improve our resource-rich website, www.classism.org.  Joining with Inequality and the Common Good also gives us access to more sophisticated tools to reach our constituents, additional social networking capabilities, and increased media visibility.

Located in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Inequality and the Common Good will be Class Action’s new home.  Shifting our national office to Boston affords us more opportunities for trainings, funding, and networking.  With 80 colleges and universities, and large networks of progressive activists and social change organizations in the Boston area, Class Action can actively promote our trainings in person as well as present our innovative high-school curriculum to its many area schools.  The city has hundreds of foundations that fund Boston-based organizations.  We also look forward to the many new networking opportunities and collaborative partnerships the city offers.

We will still have a presence in Western Massachusetts, where several Board members and trainers reside.  We have ongoing initiatives at a number of Western Mass. colleges, and our community-based Women Building Bridges for Economic Justice program will continue under the leadership of coordinator Joanne Sunshower.

Moving Forward...

To lead the transition, Jerry Koch-Gonzalez, Founding Board Member of Class Action, has shifted his role from President of the Board to Interim Executive Director, and Jacqueline Dyer will serve as the Interim President of the Board.  Jamila Thompson, Marketing and Program Associate, will coordinate Class Action’s trainings, manage the website, and market our merchandise.  Associate Director of Development and Communications Dana Gillette will consult with Class Action through the transition, and Race/Class Intersections Program Coordinator Rhonda Soto will continue as an Associate Trainer with Class Action.  With hands-on support from our Board of Directors, our development and program consultants, and the staff of Inequality and the Common Good, we will ensure that the synergies from this new partnership build a strong future for Class Action.

The complex journey of leading Class Action through this past year of extraordinary challenges and transitions has been a remarkable one for me, both personally and professionally.  I appreciate the support, conversations, wisdom, and partnerships with many of you during that time.  Going forward, I will be staying in Western Massachusetts and returning to consulting to a broad range of nonprofits.

On behalf of all of us, I thank you—our donors and supporters—for all that you have done to make our work possible.  I remain invested in the future of Class Action and in continuing the transformational work of its visionary co-founders, Felice Yeskel and Jenny Ladd.  I know that you do, too.

In community,

Kristen Golden

Jerry Koch-Gonzalez, the Interim Executive Director, can be reached at jerry@classism.org.

We invite you to celebrate this new partnership with a gift to Class Action.