Joseph Lowery

Joseph Lowery

Template:TOCnestleft Joseph E. Lowery was a leftist activist who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and "later served as the group's president for 20 years". He died on March 27 2020 at the age of 98.

Medal of Freedom from Obama

President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery in 2009.

Endorsed Communist Party front

1982 National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression pamphlet

In 1982 Rev. Joseph Lowery endorsed a Communist Party USA front, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which was led by leading Party members Angela Davis and Charlene Mitchell.

Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign

Circa early 1980s, Joseph E. Lowery was an endorser of a US-Soviet Nuclear Weapons Freeze petition circulated by the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, National Clearinghouse, based in St. Louis, Missouri.

TranAfrica Nigeria letter

In an attempt to prod the military government of Nigeria toward a return to civilian rule, TransAfrica Forum's Randall Robinson enlisted the aid of politicians, educators and celebrities in order to focus the eyes of the world on human-rights abuses in Africa's most populous nation and return democracy to what many consider Africa's best hope. In a March 1995 letter to General Sani Abacha, who came to power in a 1993 military coup, Robinson accused Abacha of killing political opponents and shutting down the press. Robinson beseeched Abacha "to expedite the restoration of democracy" to Nigeria's 100 million people or face "incalculable damage" and "eventual economic and political isolation of your regime."

The letter was signed by a host of prominent Blacks: author Maya Angelou, actors Danny Glover, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee; the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Joseph Lowery; musician and composer Quincy Jones; TV personality Bryant Gumbel; acting NAACP head Earl T. Shinhoster; International Human Rights Group director Gay McDougall; Harvard Law Professor and former Judge Leon Higginbotham, Jr.; National Urban League president Hugh Price; and a majority of Congressional Black Caucus members, including Chairman Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Alcee Hastings (D-FL), both House Subcommittee on Africa members.

Campaign for America's Future

In 1996 Joseph Lowery, Southern Christian Leadership Conference was one of the original 130 founders of Campaign for America's Future.

Interfaith Worker Justice

Interfaith Worker Justice was founded in 1996 with the mission of "engaging the religious community in low-wage worker campaigns and rebuilding partnerships with the labor movement."

Kim Bobo, IWJ Executive Director, founded the organization using her bedroom as an office and a $5,000 bequest left to her by her grandmother as the initial budget. Despite these humble origins, she had mighty helpers as part of her original Board of Directors. This founding group included Rabbi Robert Marx, Bishop Jesse DeWitt, Monsignor George Higgins, Monsignor Jack Egan, Rev. James Lawson, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Rev. Michael Rouse, Rev. Addie Wyatt, Rev. Dr. Paul Sherry, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Monsignor Phil Murnion, Rev. Wayne Stumme, Bishop James Malone, Sr. Nancy Sylvester, Rev. Jim Sessions, Ms. Evely Laser-Shlensky, Mr. Thomas Shellabarger and Mr. J. Chris Sanders.

In just eleven years, IWJ has organized a national network of more than 70 interfaith committees, workers' centers and student groups, making it the leading national organization working to strengthen the religious community's involvement in issues of workplace justice.

Advisory Board Maurice & Jane Sugar Law Center

As at Winter, 2008, the following served on the Advisory Board of the Maurice & Jane Sugar Law Center:

• Jim Benn
• Martha Bergmark
• Marjorie Cohn
• Hon. John Conyers
• Hon. Ron Dellums
• Alan W. Houseman
• Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
• Manning Marable
• Frances Fox Piven
• Victor Rabinowitz
• Dennis Rivera
• Jordan Rossen
• Bill Tamayo
• Studs Terkel
• Baldemar Velasquez

In Memoriam:

• Anne Braden
• Haywood Burns
• Hon. George Crockett
• Arthur Kinoy
• Anthony Mazzochi

Vote for Change

Turning its attention toward the November general elections, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign kicked off a massive 50-state voter registration campaign on May 10, 2008.

Thousands of volunteer activists, including many first-time volunteers, gathered in more than 100 locations across the country to launch the “Vote for Change” campaign. The goals, according to national co-chair Rep. Melissa Bean of Illinois, are to “get millions of new voters registered and engage and motivate millions who are registered but don’t participate. This is about the change we will bring, not what Sen. Obama will bring alone.”

Other national Vote for Change co-chairs include Change to Win Chair Anna Burger, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Maria Elena Durazo, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and musicians Melissa Etheridge, Dave Matthews and Usher Raymond IV.

CBTU 2009 conference

On May 23, 2009 Carolyn Williams, William Lucy, Honorable Bennie Thompson Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, John Sweeney addressed the Awards Banquet of the 38th Annual Convention of Coalition of Black Trade Unionists in Atlanta, GA.

References

Template:Reflist Template:Campaign for America's Future co-founders