Empowering Half the World

There is no doubt that considerable progress has been made in the last decade to empower women and girls across the globe, but gender inequality is far from solved. Women perform 60% of the world’s work, yet their earnings fall below 5% of global income. The majority of children who do not attend school are girls and 75% of illiterate adults are women. Women in power are still rare; they hold only one-fifth of the positions in national governments.

Melanne Verveer, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, is an inspiring and dedicated advocate for women and girls here and around the world.  Verveer shared her considerable experience and insights at The Common Good on the importance of empowering women and girls for improvements in economic growth, foreign policy, healthcare, and poverty alleviation and how educating a girl is the single best investment possible.

Ambassador Verveer is currently the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, which seeks to enhance national and global security by documenting the crucial role women play in peace-building and security through research and scholarship, and by engaging global leaders from government, civil society and the private sector in conversations on the urgent issues of our times.

Ambassador Verveer most recently served as the first U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, a position to which she was nominated by President Obama in 2009. She coordinated foreign policy issues and  activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women, traveling to nearly sixty countries. She worked to ensure that women’s participation and rights are fully integrated into U.S. foreign policy, and she played a leadership role in the Administration’s development of the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.

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Meet & Greet: Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III

The Common Good was proud to host a rising star in U.S. politics, Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, representative for Massachusetts’s 4th congressional district since 2013.

Joseph Kennedy III represents the Fourth District of Massachusetts in Congress. Currently in his second term, he represents a diverse district that spans from the suburbs of Boston to the more industrial towns of Massachusetts’ South Coast.

As member of the influential House Energy & Commerce Committee, Joe has prioritized economic opportunity for working families. A vocal advocate for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, vocational schools and community colleges, he has authored several pieces of legislation in Washington aimed at improving access to our modern economy, including the Perkins Modernization Act and STEM Gateways Act.

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Meet & Greet: Jason Kander

The Common Good hosted a meet and greet with Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, hosted by Richard Gordon.

Jason Kander was the Missouri Secretary of State and the youngest statewide elected official in America. Kander is a former Army Captain who served in Afghanistan as a military intelligence officer, a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, and an attorney from Kansas City, Missouri. During his career in the General Assembly, he represented the 44th district (which includes parts of Jackson County) from 2009 to 2013. He ran for the United States Senate against Republican incumbent Roy Blunt in the 2016 election. The Hill has ranked the race #10 of the most vulnerable this year out of two dozen the Republicans are defending.

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“The Campaign 2016: What the Numbers Reveal”

We were pleased to have highly respected pollster Mark Mellman join us to shed light on the current campaign race statistics of the 2016 presidential election. As part of his discussion, Mellman shared his views on the impact of the primary schedule, subgroup polling insights, and the key influencing factors.

Mark Mellman is one of the nation’s leading public opinion researchers and communication strategists. He is CEO of The Mellman Group, a polling and consulting firm whose clients include leading political figures, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the nation’s most important public interest groups. Mellman, who counts among his clients Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Whip Steny Hoyer, has helped guide the campaigns of twenty-six U.S. Senators, ten Governors, over two dozen Members of Congress, and numerous state and local officials.

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“Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America”

Voting rights for many are at risk. Ari Berman, author and investigative journalist, joined The Common Good to discuss “Voting Rights & the Efforts to Limit Voting Rights Today” and why young voters, minorities, the elderly and others should be concerned, as well as his book Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.

The Voting Rights Act enfranchised millions of Americans and is widely regarded as the crowning achievement of the civil rights movement. And yet fifty years later, we are still fighting heated battles over race, representation, and political power, with lawmakers devising new strategies to keep many citizens out of the voting booth.

A groundbreaking narrative history of voting rights since 1965, Give Us the Ballot tells the story of what happened after the act was passed. Through meticulous archival research, fresh interviews with the leading participants in the ongoing struggle, and incisive on-the-ground reporting, Ari Berman chronicles the transformative impact the act had on American democracy and investigates how the fight over the right to vote has continued in the decades since. From new strategies to keep minorities out of the voting booth, to cynical efforts to limit political representation by gerrymandering electoral districts, to the Supreme Court's recent stunning decision that declared a key part of the Voting Rights Act itself unconstitutional, to the efforts by the Justice Department and grassroots activists to counter these attacks, Berman tells the dramatic story of the pitched contest over the very heart of our democracy. At this important historical moment, Give Us the Ballot brings new insight to one of the most vital political and civil rights issues of our time.

Ari Berman is a contributing writer for The Nation magazine and an Investigative Journalism Fellow at The Nation Institute. His book, Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, was published in August 2015 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He has written extensively about American politics, civil rights, and the intersection of money and politics. His stories have also appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, and he is a frequent guest and commentator on MSNBC and NPR. His first book, Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics, was published in 2010 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

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Meet & Greet: Governor Ted Strickland

Governor Ted Strickland, former Governor of Ohio and candidate for the U.S. Senate, spoke to members on how he will focus on how to help the American middle class and Ohio’s importance in the elections.

Ted Strickland is a former minister, psychologist, congressman and governor of Ohio.

Strickland created one of the nation’s leading advanced energy laws, preventing runaway electricity rate hikes and making Ohio a national leader in green energy jobs. Strickland held tuition increases to the lowest rate in the nation and made Ohio the first state to offer free tuition to veterans from across the country. Under Strickland’s leadership, Ohio’s primary and secondary schools won the nation’s top prize for education innovation from the Education Commission of the States.

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Special Screening of "He Named Me Malala"

The Common Good hosted a special screening of "He Named Me Malala" followed by a discussion with Director Davis Guggenheim.

“He Named Me Malala” is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old was singled out for advocating for girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund.

Davis Guggenheim is an American film and television director and producer. His credits include NYPD Blue, ER, 24, Alias, The Shield, Deadwood, and the documentaries “An Inconvenient Truth”, “The Road We've Traveled”, “Waiting for 'Superman” and “He Named Me Malala”. (1)

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(1) Material from Wikipedia.

Meet & Greet: Senator George J. Mitchell

The Common Good hosted Senator George Mitchell, who discussed lessons learned in foreign policy and government, touching on Iran, Syria, and America's role in the world.

Senator George Mitchell is an American politician and businessman. Mitchell was appointed to the United States Senate in 1980 to complete the unexpired term of Senator Edmund S. Muskie who had resigned to become Secretary of State. Mitchell was elected to a full term in the Senate in 1982. In 1986, he chaired the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, and was instrumental in his party regaining a majority in the Senate. Mitchell himself was reelected in 1988 with 81 percent of the vote, the largest margin in the history of the state of Maine. At the opening of the next session, he was elected Senate Majority Leader, the second most powerful elected official in the United States, a position he held for the next six years. For six consecutive years he was voted “the most respected member” of the Senate by a bipartisan group of senior congressional aides. In 1994, George Mitchell declined an appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States in order to remain in the Senate and pursue the struggle for universal national health care.

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Screening and Discussion on "Best of Enemies"

The Common Good hosted a special screening of “Best of Enemies” and held a panel discussion and Q&A with the directors of "Best of Enemies", Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville, and legendary talk-show host Dick Cavett, moderated by Alex Witt.

'Best of Enemies' is a documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. “Best of Enemies” delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, “What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?”

Alex Witt hosts the MSNBC show Weekends with Alex Witt on Saturdays and Sundays. Since joining the network in 1999, Alex has hosted across both dayside and primetime platforms, as well as reported from the field during Presidential election seasons and overseas. Alex contributes to NBC Nightly News, the Making a Difference series and Today.

Dick Cavett was the host of The Dick Cavett Show, which aired on ABC from 1968 to 1975 and on public television from 1977 to 1982. Dick Cavett is the author of Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets, and is the co-author of Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983). He has also appeared on Broadway, on television, and in films.

Robert Gordon is a Grammy Award-winning writer, producer, and director. He has made 8 feature documentaries and is the author of 6 books, including Can’t Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters. Gordon is also the author of It Came From Memphis, a book about Memphis music and culture, and he produced the book’s two companion CD’s.

Morgan Neville is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Through a series of films on important music subjects (including The Brill Building, Sam Phillips and Sun Records, Nat King Cole, Brian Wilson, Leiber & Stoller, The Highwaymen, and Burt Bacharach), Neville has documented stories of songwriters and producers who helped shape 20th-century music.

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The Information Revolution: Challenges and Opportunities for Israel

Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel in New York, gave a presentation on “The Information Revolution: Challenges and Opportunities for Israel”.

The way we communicate and access information is changing at an unprecedented pace. The world is over-saturated with information. Every day, the internet produces an incomprehensible volume of new facts, ideas, insights, gratifications and opinions. With more than one billion websites online, most search engines cannot even begin to effectively cover this unimaginable and enormous ocean of information. How will this changing landscape affect Israel?

Ido Aharoni serves as Global Distinguished Professor for International Relations at New York University’s Faculty of Arts and Science. He is a co-founder of Emerson Rigby Ltd., a member of the International Advisory Council of APCO Worldwide, a Global Ambassador for Maccabi World Union and the Chairman of the Charney Forum on New Diplomacy. Aharoni has been Israel’s longest serving Consul-General in New York and the tri-state area to date. He held that position with the rank of Ambassador for six years, overseeing the operations of Israel’s largest diplomatic mission worldwide.

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The American Spirit Awards 2015

Alex Witt began the inspirational program with a warm and gracious welcome, recalling her experience with The Common Good and introducing TCG Founder Patricia Duff.

The first American Spirit Award of the evening was given to acclaimed artist William Pope.L for Activism in the Arts. Pope.L was presented the award by TCG member and art documentary filmmaker Diandra Luker. Pope.L was honored for his witty, intense, and bold artwork that brings political and social messages to public attention. He spoke of the importance of art as a tool of activism.

Judge Jed Rakoff, federal court judge, received the American Spirit Award for Public Service from TCG member Richard Farley, a partner at Paul Hastings Law Firm. Farley applauded Judge Rakoff’s exemplary reputation for thoughtful justice. Judge Rakoff took the opportunity to address the state of mass incarceration in the United States, stating that the current attitude towards imprisonment it is “both inhumane and counterproductive.” While explaining that there is much work to be done, he optimistically recognized that change is underway.

Andrea Pino-Silva and Annie Clark were honored for their work to advocate for policies that aim to prevent sexual harassment and assault at universities with the American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism. The award was presented by ground-breaking author and social activist, Naomi Wolf. Andrea Pino and Annie Clark, co-founders of End Rape on Campus (EROC), presented shocking statistics on campus sexual assault and described their own personal experiences, noting the importance of greater awareness to empower others by powerfully stating “You are not alone, it is not your fault and you are believed.”

Bob Woodruff received the American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism. Woodruff’s stellar career in journalism as co-anchor of ABC News’s weekday broadcast, World News Tonight, was abruptly cut short as he was wounded while covering the war in Iraq. Since his hard-won recovery, Woodruff has dedicated himself giving our injured veterans access to the high level of support and resources they deserve, for as long as they need it. The award was presented by J.R. Martinez, a veteran who also survived critical injuries and burns in Iraq from a roadside bomb and who has used the tragedy as a personal mission to inspire others.

Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul & Mary ended the evening with a moving tribute to Congressman John Lewis. One of the “big six” leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, Congressman Lewis played a key role in ending legalized racial discrimination and granting African Americans the right to vote. Yarrow shared his relationship with Congressman Lewis, which began in 1965 at the Selma to Montgomery March. He then led the audience in a rendition of Bob Dylan’s classic song, “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this outstanding event. We hope to see you next year!

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The Common Good Forum 2015

The Common Good inaugural forum assembled some of the brightest thinkers in the US with a day of dynamic presentations on today’s complex economic and political landscape. Leaders from many fields provided provocative discussions on the issues you want to know about – where we are today, where we need to go in the next 5 to 20 years, and how we are going to get there. Each of our speakers offered practical and insightful information on the global and national landscape essential for public policy or investment decision-making.  

The theme of this forum was “Powering the Growth Engine”.

SESSION (1) The New Economy: Death or Rebirth of Publishing in a Digital World?

Tech and digital technologies have transformed the publishing world, forcing the closing of some long-revered newspapers and magazines, and slashing revenues, profits, and jobs at others. Here is one story of how a publishing company bucked the trend.

SESSION (2)  The New Economy: Keeping it “Made in America”

Manufacturing was the economic engine that provided jobs and good wages for over a century. What can we learn about growing a vigorous U.S. economy from companies like Siemens USA, which, under the leadership of Eric Spiegel, continues to spearhead new approaches to manufacturing, or from Steve Rattner, who helped reorganize the auto industry?

SESSION (3)  Lead Up to 2016 and Beyond: US Politics Now

This panel provided a lively exploration of the issues, the events, and the leaders that will shape our politics in coming years. Will the key issue be “the economy” with concern about wage stagnation, jobs, and inequality? Will anti-government, anti-spending, anti-tax forces reign? How will frustration over Washington gridlock be addressed by voters? We look at the 2016 race and important trends we need to watch.

SESSION (4) Storm Warning: Openings and Danger Zones

How should the U.S. manage national security and foreign policy challenges – from growing instability in the Middle East to the emergence of ISIS; from cyber threats to an increased assertiveness in global corners, such as new tests of U.S. influence? Each of our panelists looks at the globe from their area of expertise, offers a brief overview, and discusses options to strengthen U.S. interests.

SESSION (5) Power Talk: Medical Revolution – Latest Advances in Stem Cell Research

Stem cells have remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth, and they can serve as an internal repair system. Stem cell pioneer and renowned cloning scientist, Dr. Robert Lanza, gave a presentation on how stem cell research is one of the most hopeful and powerful medical developments in modern times.

SESSION (6) Global Opportunities & Challenges: Charting Growth around the Globe

This panel focused on the global economic environment and regional economic growth. Where is growth likely to come from? Is the U.S. still the major catalyst for growth? Will Europe hold? Is China slowing down? Are frontier and emerging markets still sources for great growth?

SESSION (7)  Investing the People’s Money

The responsibility for investing the people’s money at the state level is enormous, and our panelists oversee the investment of over $250 billion in assets. State pension funds must grow over time and yet be protected. What goes into the decision-making on how investments are made and funds allocated? What kind of investments make up the state portfolios? How are your investment partners helping to maximize return and protect the potential for the downside?

SESSION (8 )  Power Talk: Reinvigorating the American Dream

The best test of America’s economic vigor is whether the middle class is doing well. Unfortunately, while a few Americans have done very well in recent decades, millions of middle-income families are struggling to get ahead or even stay afloat. Smart public policy can change that, and ensure all citizens share in economic success. The high stakes for both our families and our economy justify a bold new policy agenda that will make a vision of inclusive prosperity a reality.

SESSION (9) The Responsibility to Protect: National Security Challenges

What keeps the national security experts up at night? What are the most serious threats to American homeland security? ISIS and foreign-based attacks? “Lone wolf” terrorists? Cyber attacks on government, individuals and business? Nuclear proliferation? How do we address these dangers? Can we balance public good and private concerns; privacy and security?

SESSION (10)  Secular Stagnation or Debt Supercycle

Why is economic growth slowing? Weak, post-Financial Crisis growth has been blamed by some on “secular stagnation” – a permanent lower growth rate caused by chronic weak demand that requires new approaches from the macroeconomic toolkit. Another view is that the advanced countries have experienced the “financial crisis/debt supercycle” that is relatively rare in modern day advanced countries but was common before WWII and is still common in emerging markets. The difference matters – both for policy and for predicting what comes next. Unlike secular stagnation, a debt supercycle is not forever, and ends when debt levels normalize, collateral values rise, and credit begins flowing more freely again. Economist Kenneth Rogoff explains whether we can expect growth trends to resume as the headwinds from the recession recede.

SESSION (11) Investing in America’s Future: Inequality, Infrastructure & the Middle Class

What advice would you give our current President (or the next one) to put the U.S. on the path to a vigorous economy with shared prosperity? Is the economy stalling? How can we address economic inequality, the hollowing out of the middle class, or wage and income stagnation? Can we grow jobs given disruption from globalization and technology advances?

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Law Enforcement, Corrections and Prison Reform with Former NYC Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik

Former NYC Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik joined us for a discussion on law enforcement, corrections and prison reform, and national security.

Bernard Kerik is one of the most controversial and accomplished leaders in law enforcement, correction, and national security in the United States. For more than thirty years, he served his country, most notably as the 40th Police Commissioner of the City of New York.

As Police Commissioner of the City of New York, Kerik was responsible for 55,000 civilian and uniform personnel, and a $3.2 billion budget. His term was marked by dramatic reductions in crime, enhanced community relations, and his unflinching leadership and oversight, as he led New York City through the devastating attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11, overseeing the rescue, recovery and investigation. In 2001, he was one of the founding members of the Board of Trustees of the Twin Towers Fund, which raised and distributed $216 million to over 600 families related the emergency service workers killed on 9/11.

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The Common Good Trip to Selma, Alabama

The Common Good took a small delegation to Selma, Alabama for the 50th Anniversary of the historic March on Selma. We are proud that our group was able to participate in the incredible weekend honoring the now unforgettable march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Many of you have probably seen the Oscar-nominated film, Selma, but our group was lucky enough to retrace some of the courageous steps of the civil rights movement and the march that changed the righted so many wrongs.

Our journey began in Birmingham, with a tour of the city’s civil rights sites and, later, TCG members dined with a very special guest: Sarah Collins Rudolph. Rudolph was only 12 years old standing next to her sister in the 16th Street Church at the time of its horrific bombing by white supremacists in 1963. Sarah’s sister, Addie Mae, was one of the four children who died in the bombing. Sarah suffered grievously with the loss of her eye and other injuries that kept her hospitalized for months. Though emotionally scarred, Sarah was brave enough to share her story with our group.

On Saturday we made our way to Selma. From our sun-drenched seats close to President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, former President George Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, with a view of the bridge as a backdrop, we listened to President Obama’s speech and were able to greet various leaders and civil rights figures of the past and present including Congressman John Lewis, Jesse Jackson, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Amelia Boynton, and Kevin McCarthy. We then enjoyed a lunch hosted by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund at the Brown Chapel AME Church. On Sunday morning we stopped at Brown Chapel where Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Al Sharpton, Sean Donovan, and Sherilynn Ifill were speaking. We then took a brief tour of Montgomery, stopping at the First Baptist Church, site of Freedom Riders meetings during the Montgomery bus boycott sparked by Rosa Parks’s civil disobedience, and at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, a historical landmark in which Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor and where he helped to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  

While each and every member of our group contributed to the overall experience, we owe a special debt to our Event Chair, Charles Atkins, who treated us with lunch at Brown Chapel; set up our participation in Saturday’s dinner honoring Jesse Jackson, Dorothy Cotton, Danny Glover and others; and organized as best as one could to provide access to the church service on Sunday in Selma. Special thanks to Patricia Duff for getting tickets from the White House for the President’s speech and for setting up our meeting with civil rights activists: songwriter Mike Stoller (Stand By Me, On Broadway, and many others hits) and storied jazz musician Corky Hale Stoller. Another “Thank you” to Jerry Leichtling.

And very special thanks to our staff, particularly Serena Sharma, for setting up much of the details and logistics, and to Joel Strauss for keeping us on the road in Alabama.

Our trip to Selma was a powerful reminder of the sacrifices and struggles for millions of Americans to gain rights easily taken for granted by others. There are many bridges to cross to guarantee all Americans their full rights and freedoms, but we will always remember Selma.

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52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale

Actor and activist Adrian Grenier joined The Common Good to talk about his documentary, 52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale in the World, which is about the forgotten “52 Hertz Whale.” In our ever-present fascination with these majestic beasts, the tale of “52” prompts an intense reaction amongst our own species. Director Joshua Zeman also joined to speak about his work.

52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale in the World is a feature length documentary that takes audiences on a journey to find the forgotten “52 Hertz Whale”. Baleen whales, which includes blue whales and humpbacks, can make vocalizations at frequencies in a wide range—from 10Hz to 7000Hz (7kHz). Calling out at 52 Hz, a frequency unrecognized by other whales, this mysterious creature is believed to have lived its life in complete solitude, its calls forever unanswered by its own kind. In our ever-present fascination with these majestic beasts, the tale of “52” has prompted an intense reaction amongst our own species, pointing to a greater awareness of human loneliness than ever before.

Adrian Grenier is an American actor. He has played Vincent Chase in the TV series Entourage (2004–2011) and the 2015 film, and has starred in Drive Me Crazy, The Devil Wears Prada, and Trash Fire. On World Environment Day 2017, Grenier was appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme. (1)

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(1) Material from Wikipedia.

Meet & Greet: Ambassador Christopher Hill

The Common Good hosted a meet and greet with Ambassador Christopher Hill.

Ambassador Christopher Robert Hill is currently Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group. During his long and distinguished career in the Foreign Service, he served as ambassador to four countries and in multiple senior positions at the U.S. Department of State. In addition to his role at ASG, Mr. Hill serves as Chief Advisor to the Chancellor for Global Engagement and Professor of the Practice in Diplomacy at the University of Denver. (1)

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(1) Material from the Albright Stonebridge Group website.

Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary

We were thrilled to have iconic singer/songwriter and political activist, Peter Yarrow, join us for a discussion of recently released book, Peter Paul and Mary: Fifty Years in Music and Life.

This carefully crafted and collectible volume tells the intimate story of Peter, Paul, and Mary and their music, in their words and with iconic images. Photographs, many rare and never before published, taken over five decades by some of the world’s top photographers, follow them from their earliest performances in the 1960’s. Follow the trio as they lead America to discover the passionate soul of folk music. Join the struggle for racial equality, social justice, and freedom in this memorable journey, from the historic 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr., to the trio’s appearance before a half million people in 1969 to end the Vietnam War, to their singing at the Hollywood Bowl for Survival Sunday in 1978, helping to launch the anti-nuke movement, the world’s first international environmental movement.

As a successful artist and activist, Peter Yarrow’s talent is legendary. His gift for songwriting has produced some of the most moving songs Peter, Paul & Mary have recorded, including “Puff, The Magic Dragon”, “Day Is Done”, “The Great Mandala” and “Light One Candle”. His musical creativity has always gone hand in hand with his commitment to social justice and equity in society.

Yarrow has been on the front lines ever since the Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960s. Over the years, many issues have moved Peter to commit his time and talent: equal rights, peace, the environment, gender equality, homelessness, hospice care and education. All have utilized his skills as both a performer and an organizer. Along with his singing partners, Noel “Paul” Stookey and Mary Travers, Peter participated in the Civil Rights Movement, which brought them to Washington in 1963 to sing for the historic march led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as the equally historic Selma-Montgomery march in 1965. He went on to produce and coordinate numerous events for the Peace/anti-Vietnam War movement, including festivals at Madison Square Garden and Shea Stadium. These efforts culminated in his co-organizing the 1969 Celebration of Life, the famous march on Washington, in which some half-million people participated.

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Meet & Greet: Admiral William Fallon on U.S. Security

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called him “one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today”. Admiral William Fallon is known for his challenges to the war policies of the Bush-Cheney administration. His commitment to putting diplomacy first marked his career of 40 years as a leader to the U.S. military. The Common Good was thrilled to host Admiral William Fallon to brief us on U.S. national security needs at a time when the international climate is very unstable.

Four-star Admiral and Chairman of the cybersecurity company CounterTack William “Fox” Fallon was the first Navy officer to head U.S. Central Command. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called him “one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform.” Adm. Fallon led US and Allied forces in eight separate commands at the highest levels of American government before retiring after 41 years of leadership. His advocacy of diplomatic and economic engagement as the preferred approach to resolving international disputes was the hallmark of his distinguished service.

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