Shepard Fairey
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The following is a highly subjective, highly selective tour of some of the more effective groups working for mildly liberal to far-left radical political change on various issues in the Seattle area. All of them need volunteers! (All addresses are in Seattle and all phone numbers are within the 206 area code.)
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): 705 Second, Suite 300, 98104; 624-2184. You love 'em or hate 'em, but these constitutional zealots will work tirelessly on the legal and lobbying fronts to ensure your protection by the Bill of Rights. Their innumerable projects include foci on freedom of speech, freedom of religion, separation of church and state, right of assembly, unreasonable search and seizure, citizen privacy, and civil liberties in cyberspace.
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC): 814 NE 40th, 98105; 632-0500. The Quakers' pacifism-based peace and social justice group. The Pacific Northwest regional office has a host of projects, including youth organizing, Native American rights, gay and lesbian youth rights, opposing anti-gay legislation, ending Iraq sanctions, Mideast work, and economic justice.
Books to Prisoners: c/o Left Bank Books, 92 Pike St, 98101. Anarchist collective that provides free reading material to literally thousands of prisoners across the country. Always needs help answering letters and packing books. An offshoot group in Olympia handles requests from the state of Texas.
The Children's Alliance: 172 20th, 98122; 324-0340. A "multi-issue advocacy organization for children and youth" that works on state policy in health care, anti-hunger, homeless youth, juvenile crime prevention, and welfare reform. Also offers excellent legislative updates and training sessions on how to be an effective advocate.
Church Council of Greater Seattle: 4759 15th NE, 98105; 525-1213. The countywide Church Council has shifted its focus away from political activism in recent years to place a greater emphasis on service projects, but still maintains a number of projects and task forces on issues of social concern: racial justice, global economy, advocacy for social and economic justice, homelessness, South Africa, and Cuba, among others.
Citizen Action: 100 S King St, Suite 240, 98104; 389-0050. A health-care-reform advocacy group with heavy leanings toward the Democratic Party. One of the only major groups working on this vital issue.
Civic Foundation: 800 Fifth, Suite 101-320, 98104; 378-1300. The voice of Seattle's neighborhood revolt. The Civic Foundation has become a major player in local politics in only two election cycles, using the simple mechanism of collecting monthly dues and then channeling them through a public interest fund to support two candidates per election. An eye for hot-button issues and regular forums that are usually pretty interesting, too.
Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES): Remember all those Central American solidarity groups in the '80s? CISPES is virtually the only survivor, and it made it through by latching onto an issue more current than Reagan's wars: sweatshops and the exploitation of labor, not just in El Salvador but throughout the Third World. And it still does the solidarity work, too.
Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR): 225 N 70th, 98103; 789-5565. The Western Washington office of this international, faith-based pacifist group. FOR is the city's leading group organizing in opposition to current US policies against Iraq, and also works in disarmament, racial and economic justice, and peace education for youth.
Gray Panthers: 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 98103; 675-8859. Local chapter of the famed senior advocacy group, does a great deal of work on health-care-access issues.
Seattle Greens: 329-1048. After several false starts throughout the '90s, it appears Seattle finally has a permanent and more or less cohesive Green Party. With the election of Peter Steinbrueck (an avowed member) and sympathizers Richard Conlin and Nick Licata, the Greens, on a platform of environmentalism and urban sustainability, may be the city's best bet for a third (or second) party.
Seattle Health Care Without Harm: 363-BURN. Neighborhood group in North Seattle attempting to shut down the one remaining operating toxic-medical-waste incinerator in the city, at Northwest Hospital.
Seattle Progressive Coalition: PO Box 30726, 98103; 329-1048. A new group of activists has formed this year to back progressive candidates for the 1999 City Council elections. Has also endorsed a six-point platform of key issues for all candidates to address.
Heart of America Northwest: 1905 Fourth, Suite 208, 98101; 382-1014. Environmental group that focuses legal and membership efforts on forcing the state and feds to clean up the nuclear waste mess at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
Home Alive: 1925 Eighth, 98101; 521-9176. Founded in the wake of singer Mia Zapata's unsolved murder several years ago, has blossomed as a grassroots organization providing classes and advocacy in women's safety.
Jobs With Justice (JWJ): Box 9662, 98109; 441-4969. A coalition of labor and community groups, JWJ can generally be found wherever there's a picket line or job action. The self-styled "conscience of the labor movement," JWJ nationally has played a leading role in recent years in getting labor back on the streets. Most recent local projects include the musicians' strike at Civic Light Opera and supporting workers at Medalia Healthcare.
Labor Party: PO Box 61087, 98121; 382-5712. The Seattle chapter of this national union-based effort to generate a third party.
Northwest Labor and Employment Law Office (LELO): 1419 S Jackson St, Suite 11, 98144; 860-1400. It's not what it sounds like. LELO is an invaluable group of workers of color. It works both on labor organizing among workers of color, and (perhaps more importantly) on helping organized labor deal with its own entrenched racism.
