Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson (rockyanderson.org) has lived his adult life fighting for the civil and human rights of people in his community and throughout the world. After graduating with a B.S. degree in Philosophy at the University of Utah and a J.D. from George Washington University, Rocky practiced law from 1978–2000, representing plaintiffs in antitrust, securities fraud, personal injury, professional malpractice, and civil rights litigation.
Rocky served as Chair of the Boards of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, Citizens for Penal Reform (which he founded), and Guadalupe Educational Programs, and was a member of the Boards of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and Common Cause of Utah. He wrote a weekly column for a Utah business newspaper, The Enterprise.
In 1996, Rocky was the Democratic nominee for Congress in Utah’s Second Congressional District, then was elected in non-partisan races for two terms as Mayor of Salt Lake City (2000–2008). (“As mayor of his city, Rocky Anderson . . . pushed through aggressive sustainability measures and energetically championed affirmative action, gay rights, and reform of the penalty-heavy justice system. He’s also been a fierce and vocal critic of the Bush administration in general and the war in Iraq in particular.” An Interview with Salt Lake City Mayor and Green Innovator Rocky Anderson, Grist, February 7, 2007) Rocky chose not to run for a third term as Mayor so he could dedicate himself to human rights education and advocacy at High Road for Human Rights, where he served as Executive Director for almost four years.
In late 2011, Rocky co-founded the Justice Party and was nominated to be the Party’s presidential candidate. (In 2022 the Justice Party became the Justice Movement, a branding that more accurately reflects the mission of the organization.) The current Justice Movement Steering Board Vice Chair, Luis J. Rodriguez, ran as the Justice Party’s vice-presidential candidate in 2012. Rocky participated in three “Expanding the Debate” programs of Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman, on whose program Rocky has frequently appeared. He debated other third-party candidates, once with Larry King moderating and another with Ralph Nader (who endorsed Rocky) moderating. During that time, Rocky co-authored an article in the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy urging that climate protection be recognized as a human rights imperative.
Rocky taught for two semesters as an adjunct teacher at the University of Utah, then practiced law again, from 2014–2021, during which time he represented plaintiffs in a wide range of cases, including several major civil rights and sexual abuse cases.
Rocky is a recipient of many local and national civil rights and environmental awards, including the national Sierra Club Distinguished Service Award, the EPA’s Climate Protection Award, the American Association for Justice Leonard Weinglass in Defense of Civil Liberties Award, and the League of United Latin American Citizens Profile in Courage Award.
Rocky now proudly serves as full-time volunteer Executive Director of the Justice Movement.
Rocky served as Chair of the Boards of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, Citizens for Penal Reform (which he founded), and Guadalupe Educational Programs, and was a member of the Boards of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and Common Cause of Utah. He wrote a weekly column for a Utah business newspaper, The Enterprise.
In 1996, Rocky was the Democratic nominee for Congress in Utah’s Second Congressional District, then was elected in non-partisan races for two terms as Mayor of Salt Lake City (2000–2008). (“As mayor of his city, Rocky Anderson . . . pushed through aggressive sustainability measures and energetically championed affirmative action, gay rights, and reform of the penalty-heavy justice system. He’s also been a fierce and vocal critic of the Bush administration in general and the war in Iraq in particular.” An Interview with Salt Lake City Mayor and Green Innovator Rocky Anderson, Grist, February 7, 2007) Rocky chose not to run for a third term as Mayor so he could dedicate himself to human rights education and advocacy at High Road for Human Rights, where he served as Executive Director for almost four years.
In late 2011, Rocky co-founded the Justice Party and was nominated to be the Party’s presidential candidate. (In 2022 the Justice Party became the Justice Movement, a branding that more accurately reflects the mission of the organization.) The current Justice Movement Steering Board Vice Chair, Luis J. Rodriguez, ran as the Justice Party’s vice-presidential candidate in 2012. Rocky participated in three “Expanding the Debate” programs of Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman, on whose program Rocky has frequently appeared. He debated other third-party candidates, once with Larry King moderating and another with Ralph Nader (who endorsed Rocky) moderating. During that time, Rocky co-authored an article in the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy urging that climate protection be recognized as a human rights imperative.
Rocky taught for two semesters as an adjunct teacher at the University of Utah, then practiced law again, from 2014–2021, during which time he represented plaintiffs in a wide range of cases, including several major civil rights and sexual abuse cases.
Rocky is a recipient of many local and national civil rights and environmental awards, including the national Sierra Club Distinguished Service Award, the EPA’s Climate Protection Award, the American Association for Justice Leonard Weinglass in Defense of Civil Liberties Award, and the League of United Latin American Citizens Profile in Courage Award.
Rocky now proudly serves as full-time volunteer Executive Director of the Justice Movement.
Sudhir Amembal was born in Bangalore, India. He completed his schooling in Bombay, culminating with an undergraduate degree in Commerce. In 1969, he moved to Salt Lake City to obtain his MBA degree at the University of Utah, graduating as one of five Dean's Scholars. He then worked for Ernst & Young in New York City, where he passed the CPA examination. He returned to Salt Lake City to join the University of Utah as a financial analyst, after which he joined the faculty at its College of Business where he taught accounting. He continually ranked, in student evaluations, among the top three of 80 faculty members. In 1978, he co-founded Amembal & Associates. The firm is regarded as the world’s foremost training, consulting and publishing entity in the equipment finance and leasing industry. It has trained over 80,000 professionals throughout the world. In this context, and otherwise, Sudhir has visited over 100 countries. He has co-authored, authored, and published 17 books. His consultancy practice has embraced dozens of blue-chip companies as well as over 20 emerging market governments. He chaired the annual World Leasing Convention continually from 1993 until its discontinuance in 2013. In 2016, he was inducted into the Equipment Finance Hall of Fame by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Association in the U.S.
Since 1976, Sudhir has played an active role in animal protection. He served as Treasurer and then as President of the Board of Directors of the Humane Society of Utah; and, as President of the Board of Directors of Wasatch Humane and Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. During his tenure with the Humane Society of Utah, the organization built the first subsidized spay and neuter clinic west of the Mississippi. He helped launch The Animals Voice, an independent online magazine for the voiceless and served as its President in its early days. Whilst he lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, he founded Amigos de los Animales an organization that made a substantial impact, through massive sterilization campaigns, on domestic animals in the area. He served as the pro bono CEO of the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FIAPO) for a period of two years, during which period the entity firmly established itself as the only common voice for animals in India. He has done pro bono consultancy work for varied animal protection organizations in India, Indonesia, and Lebanon. Besides his work in the area of animal protection, following the lead of his wife, Kiran, who was the creator of the Oscar Night Gala for the Utah AIDS Foundation, he led the Foundation in its early days by serving as its Treasurer and then as President of its Board of Directors.
Sudhir is the current Justice Movement Steering Board Chair, the Treasurer, and serves on the Justice Movement's Economic Justice Committee. His superb organizational and leadership abilities, and his dedication to promoting compassionate treatment of human beings and animals alike, bring the Justice Movement closer to its goal of providing all human beings with an opportunity to contribute to our world and for all sentient beings to thrive and to live with dignity and self-respect.
Since 1976, Sudhir has played an active role in animal protection. He served as Treasurer and then as President of the Board of Directors of the Humane Society of Utah; and, as President of the Board of Directors of Wasatch Humane and Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. During his tenure with the Humane Society of Utah, the organization built the first subsidized spay and neuter clinic west of the Mississippi. He helped launch The Animals Voice, an independent online magazine for the voiceless and served as its President in its early days. Whilst he lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, he founded Amigos de los Animales an organization that made a substantial impact, through massive sterilization campaigns, on domestic animals in the area. He served as the pro bono CEO of the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FIAPO) for a period of two years, during which period the entity firmly established itself as the only common voice for animals in India. He has done pro bono consultancy work for varied animal protection organizations in India, Indonesia, and Lebanon. Besides his work in the area of animal protection, following the lead of his wife, Kiran, who was the creator of the Oscar Night Gala for the Utah AIDS Foundation, he led the Foundation in its early days by serving as its Treasurer and then as President of its Board of Directors.
Sudhir is the current Justice Movement Steering Board Chair, the Treasurer, and serves on the Justice Movement's Economic Justice Committee. His superb organizational and leadership abilities, and his dedication to promoting compassionate treatment of human beings and animals alike, bring the Justice Movement closer to its goal of providing all human beings with an opportunity to contribute to our world and for all sentient beings to thrive and to live with dignity and self-respect.
Luis J. Rodriguez (www.luisjrodriguez.com) is a renowned Chicano author of 16 books in all genres, including the bestselling memoir "Always Running, La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A." (1993 Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster). Rodriguez is founding editor of the small poetry publisher, Tia Chucha Press, and co‐founder of Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles. He worked as a steelworker, a lead foundry smelter, a construction worker, a papermill worker, a refinery worker, a truck driver, and a carpenter before embarking on a journalism and writing career in 1980. He has written for daily, weekly, and monthly publications and was a writer/reporter for WMAQ All News Radio in Chicago, variously owned by CNN, Westinghouse, and NBC. In the mid‐1980s Rodriguez worked for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), including during the largest union representation campaign in US history, in support of the clerical and blue‐collar workers of the University of California system.
Luis has worked with the homeless, gang youth, undocumented people, and artists, among others, for around 50 years. He is active in indigenous people's issues, and participated in native ceremonies, throughout the U.S. and in Latin America, having roots on his mother's side with the Tarahumara people of Chihuahua, Mexico. In addition, Rodriguez has facilitated creative writing classes, poetry readings, talks, and healing circles in prisons, jails, juvenile lockups, and parolee housing for over 40 years. He served as Los Angeles' official Poet Laureate
from 2014 to 2016. His latest book is "From Our Land to Our Land: Essays, Journeys & Imaginings from a Native Xicanx Writer" (2020 Seven Stories Press).
Over the past several decades, Luis has passionately worked with many non-profits and other organizations, raising funds, resources, awareness, and the spirits of homeless populations, indigenous communities, those in migrant camps, residents of Native American reservations, and of people in prisons and juvenile lockups in the United States, South America, and in Mexico.
Watch Luis Rodriguez discuss the wisdom of Native philosophy and thinking and its relevancy in the past, present, and future in this independently organized 2019 TEDx talk, The Four Key Connections.
Luis joined Rocky Anderson’s campaign for President in 2012 as the vice‐presidential candidate on the Justice Party ticket. The Justice Party endorsed Rodriguez in his independent run for California governor in 2014, and again in 2022 when Luis ran as a member of the Green Party. In addition to his many other activism projects, Luis has continued to work with the Justice Party through it's rebranding in 2022 as the Justice Movement. He brings a unique, imaginative perspective and prolific activism to Justice Movement leadership, inspiring future leaders to build a nation and world where social, economic, and environmental justice prevail for all.
Luis has worked with the homeless, gang youth, undocumented people, and artists, among others, for around 50 years. He is active in indigenous people's issues, and participated in native ceremonies, throughout the U.S. and in Latin America, having roots on his mother's side with the Tarahumara people of Chihuahua, Mexico. In addition, Rodriguez has facilitated creative writing classes, poetry readings, talks, and healing circles in prisons, jails, juvenile lockups, and parolee housing for over 40 years. He served as Los Angeles' official Poet Laureate
from 2014 to 2016. His latest book is "From Our Land to Our Land: Essays, Journeys & Imaginings from a Native Xicanx Writer" (2020 Seven Stories Press).
Over the past several decades, Luis has passionately worked with many non-profits and other organizations, raising funds, resources, awareness, and the spirits of homeless populations, indigenous communities, those in migrant camps, residents of Native American reservations, and of people in prisons and juvenile lockups in the United States, South America, and in Mexico.
Watch Luis Rodriguez discuss the wisdom of Native philosophy and thinking and its relevancy in the past, present, and future in this independently organized 2019 TEDx talk, The Four Key Connections.
Luis joined Rocky Anderson’s campaign for President in 2012 as the vice‐presidential candidate on the Justice Party ticket. The Justice Party endorsed Rodriguez in his independent run for California governor in 2014, and again in 2022 when Luis ran as a member of the Green Party. In addition to his many other activism projects, Luis has continued to work with the Justice Party through it's rebranding in 2022 as the Justice Movement. He brings a unique, imaginative perspective and prolific activism to Justice Movement leadership, inspiring future leaders to build a nation and world where social, economic, and environmental justice prevail for all.
Brian Jones is the Director of Government Relations for Sentry Financial Corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah. In that role, he collaborates with local and national political, business, and community leaders to identify and facilitate initiatives that allow Sentry to advocate for justice and equality in its community.
Brian holds a J.D. from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and History from Arizona State University. Since graduating from law school in 2005, Brian has practiced corporate transactional law with a large regional law firm, worked as an in-house attorney for an IBM company, and taught college courses in law, criminal justice, and political science.
In addition to his professional endeavors, Brian has worked in the local and national political arenas for much-needed government reform in the areas of fair redistricting, refugee rights, and criminal justice, and has worked with such national figures as Ralph Nader, Jill Stein, and Rocky Anderson in the area of independent third-party advocacy. Brian also serves on the Justice Movement's Social Justice Committee and has worked with the organization since approximately 2012.
Brian holds a J.D. from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and History from Arizona State University. Since graduating from law school in 2005, Brian has practiced corporate transactional law with a large regional law firm, worked as an in-house attorney for an IBM company, and taught college courses in law, criminal justice, and political science.
In addition to his professional endeavors, Brian has worked in the local and national political arenas for much-needed government reform in the areas of fair redistricting, refugee rights, and criminal justice, and has worked with such national figures as Ralph Nader, Jill Stein, and Rocky Anderson in the area of independent third-party advocacy. Brian also serves on the Justice Movement's Social Justice Committee and has worked with the organization since approximately 2012.
Elizabeth is 24 years old, a TEDx speaker, Fulbright scholar at Instituto Empresa (IE) University in Madrid, Spain, former World Rotary Peace Fellow at International Christian University (ICU) in Japan, and is a Japanese Government MEXT research fellow. She has a double Masters in the field of Mental Health (U.S) and Peace and Conflict Studies (Japan), which has permitted her to work as a therapist and mediator with refugee and indigenous communities from the U.S, as well as engage in nonprofit work in Latin America.
At age 14, she founded Generations of Legacies, an initiative focused on educational empowerment. After completing her graduate-level studies at the record age of 19, she continued to grow this initiative from abroad. She has worked closely with Amnesty International USA, the Center of Migration and Refugee Integration, the Global Peace Building Association of Japan, Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI), the Academic Council of the United Nations Systems (ACUNS), and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency in Paris, France.
Elizabeth is a recipient of several awards, including the 2020 TUMI USA National Award, the Martin Luther King Drum Major Award, Utah Young Philanthropy Award, and the Diversity and Equity University of Utah Award.
In addition to serving on the Justice Movement Steering Board, Elizabeth also sits on the Board of Trustees for Pax Natura International, and the Radio Natura Pax Podcast Committee. Elizabeth currently resides in Tokyo, Japan, and works as a Government Researcher and as a Liaison for the Academic Council of the United Nations System (ACUNS) Tokyo Office.
At age 14, she founded Generations of Legacies, an initiative focused on educational empowerment. After completing her graduate-level studies at the record age of 19, she continued to grow this initiative from abroad. She has worked closely with Amnesty International USA, the Center of Migration and Refugee Integration, the Global Peace Building Association of Japan, Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI), the Academic Council of the United Nations Systems (ACUNS), and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency in Paris, France.
Elizabeth is a recipient of several awards, including the 2020 TUMI USA National Award, the Martin Luther King Drum Major Award, Utah Young Philanthropy Award, and the Diversity and Equity University of Utah Award.
In addition to serving on the Justice Movement Steering Board, Elizabeth also sits on the Board of Trustees for Pax Natura International, and the Radio Natura Pax Podcast Committee. Elizabeth currently resides in Tokyo, Japan, and works as a Government Researcher and as a Liaison for the Academic Council of the United Nations System (ACUNS) Tokyo Office.
Sheilah Garland-Olaniran of Chicago, IL, has been a lifelong fighter for a redefinition of freedom and democracy in this country. Sheilah grew up in Flint, MI, at a time when the auto industry was growing and made possible a standard of living not seen before for the hundreds of thousands of workers, especially those fleeing the south, who were able to raise their families working in a city that held the largest concentration of union auto workers in the country.
Growing up in this environment, where struggle often meant victory, but the victories were soon taken away as Flint and the entire auto industry saw the permanent replacement of auto workers with robotics and automation, instilled in Sheilah a deep commitment for radical change.
Attacks on the right to welfare, just as workers were being thrown out of work, pushed Sheilah to join the fight for Welfare Rights. She joined the Board of the National Welfare Rights Union to work both locally and nationally with those demanding change.
Today, Sheilah is retired after 15 years working as an organizer, political organizer, and lobbyist for National Nurses United. She has been fighting in Illinois with impacted communities for Environmental Justice. She currently is a Coordinator with the IL Poor People’s Campaign; National Call for a Moral Revival and is working on the Poor People’s Campaign: National Call for a Moral Revival’s demand for a Third Reconstruction with a team of committed leaders across the U.S. to address the systemic issues of deepening poverty and for a radical shift in the distorted moral narratives of poverty and white supremacy.
Sheilah is a Justice Movement Steering Board member and is proud to be fighting alongside others to build a politically independent movement.
Growing up in this environment, where struggle often meant victory, but the victories were soon taken away as Flint and the entire auto industry saw the permanent replacement of auto workers with robotics and automation, instilled in Sheilah a deep commitment for radical change.
Attacks on the right to welfare, just as workers were being thrown out of work, pushed Sheilah to join the fight for Welfare Rights. She joined the Board of the National Welfare Rights Union to work both locally and nationally with those demanding change.
Today, Sheilah is retired after 15 years working as an organizer, political organizer, and lobbyist for National Nurses United. She has been fighting in Illinois with impacted communities for Environmental Justice. She currently is a Coordinator with the IL Poor People’s Campaign; National Call for a Moral Revival and is working on the Poor People’s Campaign: National Call for a Moral Revival’s demand for a Third Reconstruction with a team of committed leaders across the U.S. to address the systemic issues of deepening poverty and for a radical shift in the distorted moral narratives of poverty and white supremacy.
Sheilah is a Justice Movement Steering Board member and is proud to be fighting alongside others to build a politically independent movement.
Elna Hamp is a passionate political grassroots activist. Still a registered Republican, she worked with a team to distribute over 22,000 Biden/Harris lawn signs in Utah during the 2020 election. In her September 2020 open letter to the Deseret News Elna advocated against the re-election of Trump, and for a “presidential candidate who demonstrates the ability to solve problems with compromise and compassion, forge relationships and build better lives for all.” Elna Hamp, Letter: Biden is the symbol of compassion and empathy our country needs, Sep 21, 2020, Deseret News.
Elna became involved with the Women’s Democratic Club of Utah in 2020. She is a member of Pioneer Park Coalition and in charge of community outreach to build The Other Side Village, a master-planned neighborhood for those coming out of chronic homelessness, both based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Elna is also currently involved in two initiatives with a group of activists: ‘Investigate and Impeach Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes,’ (started after Reyes joined Donald Trump’s efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 Presidential elections by filing an action with the United States Supreme Court), and ‘Unseat [Utah Senator] Mike Lee in 2022’.
Elna has spent her career of over 30 years in payer and provider experience in healthcare publishing, consulting, quality initiatives, business software solutions, and consumer engagement. Elna worked for several years with the health and wellness company, Staywell, in several positions, including President of Patient Engagement Solutions, offering data-driven tools and education programs that inform patients and members about risks, conditions, treatment options, and beneficial lifestyle changes. During her tenure at Staywell, she embraced new communications standards and led efforts to launch and bring to market new technology, helping clinicians quickly access patient records and helping them share resources with patients.
Elna is a force of nature, who actively and passionately engages in grassroots politics with tremendous energy and who makes friends wherever she goes—even among political opponents—always putting kindness and a reasoned approach first. Through the Justice Movement, Elna hopes to promote protections that meet the basic human rights of all people, including access to nutritious food, decent housing, universal health care, education, a clean and sustainable environment, and the well-being of all. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing from Utah State University and is working on her MBA from Jack Welch Management Institute.
Elna became involved with the Women’s Democratic Club of Utah in 2020. She is a member of Pioneer Park Coalition and in charge of community outreach to build The Other Side Village, a master-planned neighborhood for those coming out of chronic homelessness, both based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Elna is also currently involved in two initiatives with a group of activists: ‘Investigate and Impeach Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes,’ (started after Reyes joined Donald Trump’s efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 Presidential elections by filing an action with the United States Supreme Court), and ‘Unseat [Utah Senator] Mike Lee in 2022’.
Elna has spent her career of over 30 years in payer and provider experience in healthcare publishing, consulting, quality initiatives, business software solutions, and consumer engagement. Elna worked for several years with the health and wellness company, Staywell, in several positions, including President of Patient Engagement Solutions, offering data-driven tools and education programs that inform patients and members about risks, conditions, treatment options, and beneficial lifestyle changes. During her tenure at Staywell, she embraced new communications standards and led efforts to launch and bring to market new technology, helping clinicians quickly access patient records and helping them share resources with patients.
Elna is a force of nature, who actively and passionately engages in grassroots politics with tremendous energy and who makes friends wherever she goes—even among political opponents—always putting kindness and a reasoned approach first. Through the Justice Movement, Elna hopes to promote protections that meet the basic human rights of all people, including access to nutritious food, decent housing, universal health care, education, a clean and sustainable environment, and the well-being of all. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing from Utah State University and is working on her MBA from Jack Welch Management Institute.
As a woman of Mescalero Apache/Mexica descent, Irene completed numerous academic courses from 2003-2010 in social work leading to her employment as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and an Addiction Counselor, and her involvement with organizations like FOTF-Friends of the Family Young Parents’ Program. Irene grew a passion for social justice and began her journey as a human rights and civil rights advocate in 2013. Irene has been a part of, and held key roles in several movements.
Irene is a founding team member, media leader, and the Director of Community Outreach at Divest LA (which strongly supports the No Dakota Access Pipeline Movement to help protect Indigenous lands by urging ongoing individual, municipal, and corporate divestment from corrupt financial institutions and other corporations, and reinvest in those which operate responsibly, with social, economic, and environmental consciousness). In protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline, Irene spent time in North Dakota at the Oceti Sakowin camp in solidarity with the Lakota Nation. Irene also worked as an Outreach Street Team leader for Divest LA’s Public Bank LA campaign pushing for the creation of public banks in Los Angeles County and taking on Wall Street.
Irene directly participated in the offering of an Eagle feather from North to South, with Mexico’s Nahua Indigenous presidential candidate María de Jesús Patricio Martínez “Marichuy”. Irene also participated in the National Indigenous Congress (Congreso Nacional Indígena, CNI) and the Indigenous Governing Council (Concejo Indígena de Gobierno, CIG) in Chiapas, Mexico to address Mexica and Indigenous struggles in the United States.
In 2014, Irene helped establish and cofound Revolution LA, a grassroots activist/political organization. Revolution LA’s mission is to transform the City of Los Angeles’s political and economic framework through grassroots organizing and progressive legislative advocacy. For three years Irene has worked as a News Reporter with KPFK Radio-Pacifica Evening News, raising awareness on Indigenous struggles, gentrification, police brutality towards Black and Brown People, and environmental justice. Since 2017 Irene has been an active Board Member with Urban Partners Los Angeles, a non-profit organization that helps create and encourages charitable programs of education, health, social service, and community activity for impoverished people living in the Westlake––Koreatown neighborhoods of Los Angeles. From 2018-2020, Irene worked as a core member of the National Poor People's Campaign, Los Angeles Committee and recently established the Northeast San Fernando Valley Committee, raising awareness about San Fernando Valley residents affected by issues of poverty, such as homelessness, joblessness, low wages, student debt, and healthcare neglect. In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Irene founded LA Baby Cooperative, a program that provides infant necessities to migrant low-income, no-income moms and that holds wellness groups monthly.
Irene is continuing her academic achievements, after having completed her A.A. in History, as well as in Journalism at Los Angeles Valley College, a B.A. in History at the University of California, Riverside, and will be working towards pursuing her law degree.
Irene’s human rights work is not just for the communities that she loves; it’s for the next seven generations and for her two boys, Isaiah and Jacob, whom she supports by working at a law firm as a Legal Assistant.
Irene is a founding team member, media leader, and the Director of Community Outreach at Divest LA (which strongly supports the No Dakota Access Pipeline Movement to help protect Indigenous lands by urging ongoing individual, municipal, and corporate divestment from corrupt financial institutions and other corporations, and reinvest in those which operate responsibly, with social, economic, and environmental consciousness). In protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline, Irene spent time in North Dakota at the Oceti Sakowin camp in solidarity with the Lakota Nation. Irene also worked as an Outreach Street Team leader for Divest LA’s Public Bank LA campaign pushing for the creation of public banks in Los Angeles County and taking on Wall Street.
Irene directly participated in the offering of an Eagle feather from North to South, with Mexico’s Nahua Indigenous presidential candidate María de Jesús Patricio Martínez “Marichuy”. Irene also participated in the National Indigenous Congress (Congreso Nacional Indígena, CNI) and the Indigenous Governing Council (Concejo Indígena de Gobierno, CIG) in Chiapas, Mexico to address Mexica and Indigenous struggles in the United States.
In 2014, Irene helped establish and cofound Revolution LA, a grassroots activist/political organization. Revolution LA’s mission is to transform the City of Los Angeles’s political and economic framework through grassroots organizing and progressive legislative advocacy. For three years Irene has worked as a News Reporter with KPFK Radio-Pacifica Evening News, raising awareness on Indigenous struggles, gentrification, police brutality towards Black and Brown People, and environmental justice. Since 2017 Irene has been an active Board Member with Urban Partners Los Angeles, a non-profit organization that helps create and encourages charitable programs of education, health, social service, and community activity for impoverished people living in the Westlake––Koreatown neighborhoods of Los Angeles. From 2018-2020, Irene worked as a core member of the National Poor People's Campaign, Los Angeles Committee and recently established the Northeast San Fernando Valley Committee, raising awareness about San Fernando Valley residents affected by issues of poverty, such as homelessness, joblessness, low wages, student debt, and healthcare neglect. In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Irene founded LA Baby Cooperative, a program that provides infant necessities to migrant low-income, no-income moms and that holds wellness groups monthly.
Irene is continuing her academic achievements, after having completed her A.A. in History, as well as in Journalism at Los Angeles Valley College, a B.A. in History at the University of California, Riverside, and will be working towards pursuing her law degree.
Irene’s human rights work is not just for the communities that she loves; it’s for the next seven generations and for her two boys, Isaiah and Jacob, whom she supports by working at a law firm as a Legal Assistant.
After 40 years, Irene Maya Ota recently retired from teaching at the University of Utah. For over 20 of those years, Irene taught diversity and social justice courses. She has a BA in Cultural Anthropology and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. She has nearly completed her Ph.D in the University of Utah’s Education, Culture, and Society program (short of completing her dissertation). Her research interests focus on critical space theory, identity formation, and social justice advocacy and action. (Critical space theory is the study of how spaces are conceived, perceived, and lived, and of how identities are formed in these spaces.) Reaching beyond her teaching at the University of Utah, she also acted as advisor to an ASUU student group focused on social justice issues.
During her long professional career, Irene developed and held workshops focusing on understanding diversity, inclusion, anti-discrimination, implicit bias, and unhealthy masculinity. Among other many other corporations and non-profits, Irene provided diversity consulting services to DDI Vantage, YWCA, Neighborhood House, UCASA, Peace House, Salt Lake Community College, and to the University of Utah. Irene has presented at international conferences to audiences in Hong Kong, Stockholm, Seoul, and Dublin. Many of her workshops and consulting programs are conducted through Irene M. Ota Consulting and Training, LLC, which she owns and founded in 2018 (and is still an active company).
Since retirement, Irene conducts Anti-discrimination Response Training (A.R.T.), training seminars. She is a certified trainer and was trained by Dr. Ishu Ishiyama who developed the witness-centered approach to anti-prejudice education. Through her training seminars, workshops and consulting, she assists individuals in the development of skills and techniques to foster inclusive climates in the work-place, at educational institutions, and in their day-to-day life.
Her life experiences and education have spurred her interest and passion in social justice education, issues, and advocacy. Irene is a Japanese American and has raised two bi-racial African and Japanese American children. She has personally experienced the challenges the U.S. faces in coming to terms with its history in order to move forward into the future. In an article written for the University of Utah Student Perspectives web page, Irene said, "We need to work collaboratively to dismantle the structure of privilege and oppression. And the first way to dismantle these structures is to be aware of and validate their existence." (H. Yaqoobi, Mar. 6, 2018, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion-Student Perspectives-Irene M. Ota, diversity.utah.edu/irene-ota/)
Irene explains that she was drawn to work with the Justice Movement because it "speaks directly to the realities of marginalized individuals and the institutional and systemic structures of privilege and oppression. It provides information, but asks for action. I hope to be a part of making any kind of movement toward social justice and inclusion." She currently serves on the Justice Movement Steering Board and Social Justice Committee.
During her long professional career, Irene developed and held workshops focusing on understanding diversity, inclusion, anti-discrimination, implicit bias, and unhealthy masculinity. Among other many other corporations and non-profits, Irene provided diversity consulting services to DDI Vantage, YWCA, Neighborhood House, UCASA, Peace House, Salt Lake Community College, and to the University of Utah. Irene has presented at international conferences to audiences in Hong Kong, Stockholm, Seoul, and Dublin. Many of her workshops and consulting programs are conducted through Irene M. Ota Consulting and Training, LLC, which she owns and founded in 2018 (and is still an active company).
Since retirement, Irene conducts Anti-discrimination Response Training (A.R.T.), training seminars. She is a certified trainer and was trained by Dr. Ishu Ishiyama who developed the witness-centered approach to anti-prejudice education. Through her training seminars, workshops and consulting, she assists individuals in the development of skills and techniques to foster inclusive climates in the work-place, at educational institutions, and in their day-to-day life.
Her life experiences and education have spurred her interest and passion in social justice education, issues, and advocacy. Irene is a Japanese American and has raised two bi-racial African and Japanese American children. She has personally experienced the challenges the U.S. faces in coming to terms with its history in order to move forward into the future. In an article written for the University of Utah Student Perspectives web page, Irene said, "We need to work collaboratively to dismantle the structure of privilege and oppression. And the first way to dismantle these structures is to be aware of and validate their existence." (H. Yaqoobi, Mar. 6, 2018, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion-Student Perspectives-Irene M. Ota, diversity.utah.edu/irene-ota/)
Irene explains that she was drawn to work with the Justice Movement because it "speaks directly to the realities of marginalized individuals and the institutional and systemic structures of privilege and oppression. It provides information, but asks for action. I hope to be a part of making any kind of movement toward social justice and inclusion." She currently serves on the Justice Movement Steering Board and Social Justice Committee.
Jonathan Ruga has a long history of community involvement in education, health, human services, and defending democracy. He is the CEO of Sentry Financial, a company he and Scott Young co-founded in 1986. Jonathan is responsible for Sentry’s strategic direction and is integrally involved in all the company’s divisions, Equipment Financing, Real Estate, and Private Equity. Prior to co-founding Sentry, Jonathan worked with the law firm of Parr, Brown, Gee & Loveless, focusing on litigation and business law. He has co-authored several professional books, including The Handbook of Leasing (1982), and International Leasing: The Complete Guide (2000).
Jonathan’s knowledge of economics, combined with his realistic view of the ever-increasing costs of living compared to the static minimum wage in the U.S., make him a vigorous proponent of the minimum wage increase “Fight for $15” movement. (See Jonathan M. Ruga and Scott Young: Pandemic the perfect time to increase wages, Salt Lake Tribune, July 24, 2020.) Among other objectives in alignment with those of the Justice Movement, Jonathan advocates for policies and legislation that will significantly expand the opportunities for education, skills training, and employment, promote economic prosperity for those at the lower echelons of the socio-economic spectrum, and limit the gentrification of existing neighborhoods.
Reflecting his commitment to help bring about positive social change, Jonathan is the Board Chair of The Lightspark Foundation, the Vice Chair of Alliance for a Better Utah, and a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Mark’s Hospital. Jonathan previously served on the boards of The Boys and Girls Clubs, High Road for Human Rights, The Road Home, and the S.J. Quinney College of Law. Jonathan serves on Justice Movement's Steering Board and serves as the Movement's Economic Justice Committee Chair.
During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jonathan helped found the Nourish to Flourish initiative in Salt Lake City, which partners with local restaurants to provide nutritious meals to those in need. Jonathan and his wife, Tina, support a variety of local and national forward-thinking organizations, including Equality Utah and Planned Parenthood.
Jonathan’s knowledge of economics, combined with his realistic view of the ever-increasing costs of living compared to the static minimum wage in the U.S., make him a vigorous proponent of the minimum wage increase “Fight for $15” movement. (See Jonathan M. Ruga and Scott Young: Pandemic the perfect time to increase wages, Salt Lake Tribune, July 24, 2020.) Among other objectives in alignment with those of the Justice Movement, Jonathan advocates for policies and legislation that will significantly expand the opportunities for education, skills training, and employment, promote economic prosperity for those at the lower echelons of the socio-economic spectrum, and limit the gentrification of existing neighborhoods.
Reflecting his commitment to help bring about positive social change, Jonathan is the Board Chair of The Lightspark Foundation, the Vice Chair of Alliance for a Better Utah, and a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Mark’s Hospital. Jonathan previously served on the boards of The Boys and Girls Clubs, High Road for Human Rights, The Road Home, and the S.J. Quinney College of Law. Jonathan serves on Justice Movement's Steering Board and serves as the Movement's Economic Justice Committee Chair.
During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jonathan helped found the Nourish to Flourish initiative in Salt Lake City, which partners with local restaurants to provide nutritious meals to those in need. Jonathan and his wife, Tina, support a variety of local and national forward-thinking organizations, including Equality Utah and Planned Parenthood.
Daisy Thomas has lived the American Dream. Born to an unwed teen mother and immigrant father, Thomas understood early, deeply, and unfortunately, the disadvantages economic instability has on children and their caregivers. Raised by a single mother who battled mental illness and addiction issues, Thomas grew up fast. A survivor of intense childhood sexual, physical, and emotional violence, Thomas knew even as a child she would always have to be her own cheerleader. Unfortunately, Thomas found herself in an horrifically abusive relationship as a young adult that could only end in one of two ways, neither of which were appealing. So Thomas created a new pathway for herself, escaping the cycle of abuse.
While life had a rough start, Daisy Thomas was able to put herself through school at the University of Florida, while a young, single mother of two. Thomas continued writing for digital industry spaces throughout her days at the university – where she was also active as both the founding Vice-President of the Society of Academic Religious Studies, a two-term Interfaith Dialogue Chair, and Political Director of the Asian Student Union. Thomas graduated with her then first and second grade children cheering her on.
Thomas has utilized her inclusive leadership abilities to organize and develop grassroots movements, non profits, and women-owned startups in a professional capacity since 2000. Thomas has taught the Social Change Model of Leadership Development to economically at-risk communities since 2010, spending five years working within and researching Utah to develop better modalities to effectively serve those living in rural and/or reservation areas.
Elected as a National Delegate for Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign, Daisy Thomas also served as Secretary of the Salt Lake County Progressive Caucus and interim Vice-Chair of the State Progressive Caucus. Thomas was an instrumental force on the 2017 Utah Democratic Party Platform Committee, fighting to include basic human rights provisions as progressive planks, such as the right to indigenous sovereignty, collective bargaining, medical cannabis, and the economically sound investment into our present and future, universal healthcare and universal childcare. In under two years of moving to her new state, Thomas was able to build a reputation as a unifying political leader and was elected Utah Democratic State Party Chair in 2017, while pregnant with her youngest child.
Daisy Thomas dutifully served as the Utah Democratic State Party Chair 2017-2019, presiding over more electoral growth in the Democratic Party than Utah has seen since the 1990s, each week training, coordinating, recruiting, and exciting voters throughout Utah and the tri-state area.
After her term was complete, Thomas was elected once again to serve as a National Delegate for Bernie Sanders 2020 and spent much of her time campaigning for a return to an ethical and sound government.
The global COVID-19 pandemic and personal health issues saw the Thomas family return to Florida, in order to provide and receive more support. While her advocacy efforts historically and primarily focused on anti-human trafficking, criminal justice reform, and marginalized political engagement, Thomas continues to be actively involved in the national plant medicine decriminalization movement, as well as the international cannabis financial sector, and prison sentencing reform.
While life had a rough start, Daisy Thomas was able to put herself through school at the University of Florida, while a young, single mother of two. Thomas continued writing for digital industry spaces throughout her days at the university – where she was also active as both the founding Vice-President of the Society of Academic Religious Studies, a two-term Interfaith Dialogue Chair, and Political Director of the Asian Student Union. Thomas graduated with her then first and second grade children cheering her on.
Thomas has utilized her inclusive leadership abilities to organize and develop grassroots movements, non profits, and women-owned startups in a professional capacity since 2000. Thomas has taught the Social Change Model of Leadership Development to economically at-risk communities since 2010, spending five years working within and researching Utah to develop better modalities to effectively serve those living in rural and/or reservation areas.
Elected as a National Delegate for Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign, Daisy Thomas also served as Secretary of the Salt Lake County Progressive Caucus and interim Vice-Chair of the State Progressive Caucus. Thomas was an instrumental force on the 2017 Utah Democratic Party Platform Committee, fighting to include basic human rights provisions as progressive planks, such as the right to indigenous sovereignty, collective bargaining, medical cannabis, and the economically sound investment into our present and future, universal healthcare and universal childcare. In under two years of moving to her new state, Thomas was able to build a reputation as a unifying political leader and was elected Utah Democratic State Party Chair in 2017, while pregnant with her youngest child.
Daisy Thomas dutifully served as the Utah Democratic State Party Chair 2017-2019, presiding over more electoral growth in the Democratic Party than Utah has seen since the 1990s, each week training, coordinating, recruiting, and exciting voters throughout Utah and the tri-state area.
After her term was complete, Thomas was elected once again to serve as a National Delegate for Bernie Sanders 2020 and spent much of her time campaigning for a return to an ethical and sound government.
The global COVID-19 pandemic and personal health issues saw the Thomas family return to Florida, in order to provide and receive more support. While her advocacy efforts historically and primarily focused on anti-human trafficking, criminal justice reform, and marginalized political engagement, Thomas continues to be actively involved in the national plant medicine decriminalization movement, as well as the international cannabis financial sector, and prison sentencing reform.
Randall Tolpinrud is a passionate activist in the environmental protection and sustainability movements and is an innovator in energy and resource-efficient building design. He earned his BA in Philosophy and MA in Philosophy and Environmental Studies from the University of Utah. Randall has instructed at college and professional levels around the world on subjects such as sustainable development, environmental science and ethics, forest conservation, and philosophy. Randall is the author of Globalization: The Imperative of a New Paradigm, which he presented at the 23rd World Philosophy Congress, held in Athens, Greece in 2013. Among other publications, he authored the popular Green Building Consumer Guide for Utah (1989), and Timeless Wisdom (2020), a juxtaposition between the epistemological foundations of Eastern and Western traditions with respect to environmentalism. He is President of Groupwest Corporation, which has earned several awards for its promotion and implementation of energy- and resource-efficient building design in residential and commercial development.
Randall is a founder and the current President of the Pax Natura and Bosque Lluvioso Foundations (https://paxnatura.org/). The Pax Natura Foundation works closely with governments in South and Central America and in Africa, most recently in Costa Rica and Tanzania, as they strive to meet their commitments to achieve carbon neutrality and to protect and reclaim native forests that would otherwise be cleared for non-sustainable agricultural land or urbanization. (Randall and others explain carbon neutrality in the trailer for the 2020 film “Peace With Nature in Costa Rica”, https://vimeo.com/459403186.) Other Pax Natura Foundation project locations include Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Guatemala and Colombia. Randall, along with other Pax Natura Trustees, have represented Costa Rican forest conservation programs at the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC), within the Conference of the Parties (COP), and at Carbon Market Conferences throughout the world. Randall’s copious experience with projects creating economic opportunity (especially for indigenous peoples) through environmental protection complements his leadership role in the Justice Movement and as a member of its Environmental Justice Committee.
Randall hopes that the Justice Movement will inspire people around the world to reimagine patriotism through the elevation of the protection of nature as a necessary component of the protection of human rights.
Randall is a founder and the current President of the Pax Natura and Bosque Lluvioso Foundations (https://paxnatura.org/). The Pax Natura Foundation works closely with governments in South and Central America and in Africa, most recently in Costa Rica and Tanzania, as they strive to meet their commitments to achieve carbon neutrality and to protect and reclaim native forests that would otherwise be cleared for non-sustainable agricultural land or urbanization. (Randall and others explain carbon neutrality in the trailer for the 2020 film “Peace With Nature in Costa Rica”, https://vimeo.com/459403186.) Other Pax Natura Foundation project locations include Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Guatemala and Colombia. Randall, along with other Pax Natura Trustees, have represented Costa Rican forest conservation programs at the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC), within the Conference of the Parties (COP), and at Carbon Market Conferences throughout the world. Randall’s copious experience with projects creating economic opportunity (especially for indigenous peoples) through environmental protection complements his leadership role in the Justice Movement and as a member of its Environmental Justice Committee.
Randall hopes that the Justice Movement will inspire people around the world to reimagine patriotism through the elevation of the protection of nature as a necessary component of the protection of human rights.
