|
Dear Friends,
When Felice Yeskel and I co-founded Class Action in 2004, it was clear that we were shaping an organization that was needed in this world. We wanted Class Action to be a catalyst for individuals, groups, and institutions to courageously explore and address issues of class.
In just five years, Class Action has had an incredible impact. More than 15,000 people and 125 organizations in 25 states and Canada have been moved to awareness and action by Class Action’s programs and services. Felice has led the charge, crisscrossing this country to share her passionate message of the importance of talking about class and doing something about classism.
Will you join me in honoring Felice and the work of Class Action?
Will you stand with me to acknowledge Felice’s fierce dedication to Class Action’s mission—to inspire action to end classism, raise awareness, facilitate cross-class dialogue, and promote economic justice?
Class Action is in a time of transition. As you may already know, Felice was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. For the last few months, she has stepped away from organizational leadership to focus on her healing. Class Action’s board, staff, and volunteers have stepped up to help Class Action thrive in this period. With her treatments going well and her support community warmly in place, Felice recently decided to step down from the role of Executive Director. She will continue to contribute to Class Action’s mission as a senior project specialist while tending to her ongoing healing journey. Class Action’s former Deputy Director Kristen Golden will lead the organization into the future. In this time of economic turmoil, Class Action’s voice and leadership is critical. Your support will help this transition be a smooth one, with Class Action emerging as a stronger organization with greater capacity to deepen its impact.
Felice is proof that the personal is political. Driven by her passion for a world without
classism, she has brought us closer to that vision by:
• telling her personal story—with characteristic humor and candor—of her struggles as a working-class kid navigating the halls of privilege at an elite elementary school;
• engaging people where they are—both folks who have spent years wrestling with these issues and those who have their first “ah-ha” moment about class prompted by something Felice says or does;
• sharing her vast knowledge of the historical, political, and social impact of class in ways that are accessible to and inclusive of people from across the class spectrum;
• helping people to dismantle class barriers on the personal, interpersonal, and institutional levels; and
• having the hard conversations, cross-class and cross-race dialogues, to continue her own learning and to help build broad coalitions for social justice.
In Felice’s honor, we are launching the “FY 2010” campaign. The FY stands for both Felice Yeskel and the next fiscal year. Our fundraising goal of $200,000 is designed to ensure that we continue to build the capacity of Class Action during this next year of transition. We want to make certain that Class Action has the time and space to reflect as an organization, design new programs and strategies, create innovative tools for communities and institutions, train additional trainers, and secure new funding.
As someone who helped to create and continues to support the mission and transformative work of Class Action, I know how courageous Felice is and has been in making this organization a viable, living institution. I know how deeply she cares about its future. On behalf of all of us connected to Class Action—and all those who will be mobilized by its work in the future—I ask you to join me in honoring Felice and all that she has done by making an investment in Class Action today that will build its impact for years to come. We will present Felice with a card recognizing all of the people touched by her work who have made a gift in her honor.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Ladd
P.S. Help Class Action plan for the future. Please consider joining Class Action's Core Circle with an ongoing monthly contribution or a multi-year pledge to break through the confines of classism and build a more equitable world for us all.
|
