Martin Jezer
Encyclopedia
Marty Jezer was a well-known activist and author. Born Martin Jezer and raised in the Bronx, he earned a history degree from Lafayette College
. He was a co-founding member of the Working Group on Electoral Democracy, and co-authored influential model legislation on campaign finance reform that has so far been adopted by Maine and Arizona. He was involved in state and local politics, as a campaign worker for Bernie Sanders
, Vermont's Independent Congressional Representative, and as a columnist and Town Representative.
(LNS), and was active in the nuclear freeze movement, and the organic farming movement (he helped found the Natural Organic Farmers' Association). In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War. More recently he was active in progressive causes in Vermont, including the universal health care movement. In 1968 Jezer co-founded, with Verandah Porche
, Richard Wizansky, and Ray Mungo
, “Total Loss (Packer Corners) Farm” in Guilford, Vermont
. After moving to Guilford, he continued writing for WIN magazine, as well as Green Mountain Post, and the NOFA newsletter. His main political outlet from 1998 to 2005 was as a writer of a weekly column for the Brattleboro Reformer
that often appeared on the web sites Common Dreams and TomPaine.com
; his columns were frequently reprinted in the periodical The Progressive Populist
.
Jezer was a lifetime stutterer
and wrote a memoir about his condition. He was an important figure in the self-help community for people who stutter, and received the "Member of the Year" award from the National Stuttering Association
in 2001. He was also an active member of Speak Easy, based in New Jersey.
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
. He was a co-founding member of the Working Group on Electoral Democracy, and co-authored influential model legislation on campaign finance reform that has so far been adopted by Maine and Arizona. He was involved in state and local politics, as a campaign worker for Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...
, Vermont's Independent Congressional Representative, and as a columnist and Town Representative.
Writer and activist
Jezer had been an influential figure in progressive politics from the 1960s to the time of his death. He was editor of WIN magazine (Workshop In Nonviolence), from 1962-8, was a writer for Liberation News ServiceLiberation News Service
Liberation News Service was a New Left, Underground press news service which published news bulletins from 1967 to 1981.-History:The Liberation News Service was co-founded in the summer of 1967 by Ray Mungo and Marshall Bloom after the two of them were separated from the United States Student...
(LNS), and was active in the nuclear freeze movement, and the organic farming movement (he helped found the Natural Organic Farmers' Association). In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War. More recently he was active in progressive causes in Vermont, including the universal health care movement. In 1968 Jezer co-founded, with Verandah Porche
Verandah Porche
Verandah Porche is a poet living in Guilford, Vermont. -Biography:Porche attended public schools in Teaneck, New Jersey, graduated from Teaneck High School in 1963, and went on to Boston University, graduating in 1968. That same year, with some friends, she founded a commune in southern...
, Richard Wizansky, and Ray Mungo
Ray Mungo
Raymond Mungo is the author, co-author, or editor of more than a dozen books. He writes about business, economics, and financial matters as well as cultural issues...
, “Total Loss (Packer Corners) Farm” in Guilford, Vermont
Guilford, Vermont
Guilford is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford. The population was 2,046 at the 2000 census.- Geography :...
. After moving to Guilford, he continued writing for WIN magazine, as well as Green Mountain Post, and the NOFA newsletter. His main political outlet from 1998 to 2005 was as a writer of a weekly column for the Brattleboro Reformer
Brattleboro Reformer
The Brattleboro Reformer is the third-largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Vermont. With a weekday circulation of just over 10,000, it is behind the Burlington Free Press and the Rutland Herald, respectively...
that often appeared on the web sites Common Dreams and TomPaine.com
TomPaine.com
TomPaine.com is a website with news and opinion on United States politics from a liberal perspective, named after the political writer Thomas Paine. It features a mixture of original articles and links to articles on other websites....
; his columns were frequently reprinted in the periodical The Progressive Populist
The Progressive Populist
The Progressive Populist is a magazine in tabloid newspaper format published twice monthly. Founded in 1995, the magazine is based in Storm Lake, Iowa with editorial offices in Manchaca, Texas. The editor is James M...
.
Jezer was a lifetime stutterer
Stuttering
Stuttering , also known as stammering , is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds...
and wrote a memoir about his condition. He was an important figure in the self-help community for people who stutter, and received the "Member of the Year" award from the National Stuttering Association
National Stuttering Association
The National Stuttering Association is a United States support group organization for people who stutter. Its headquarters are in New York City....
in 2001. He was also an active member of Speak Easy, based in New Jersey.
Books by Marty Jezer
- The Dark Ages: Life in the United States 1945-1960 (South End Press, 1982). ISBN 0896081281
- Rachel CarsonRachel CarsonRachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement....
: Biologist and Author (Chelsea House Publications, 1988). ISBN 155546646X - Abbie Hoffman: American RebelAbbie Hoffman: American RebelAbbie Hoffman: American Rebel is a biography of radical Abbie Hoffman, by Marty Jezer. It was published in 1992 by Rutgers University Press...
(1992; Rutgers University Press, 1993). ISBN 0813520177 - Stuttering: A Life Bound Up In Words (1997; Small Pond Press, 2003). ISBN 0972534504 (website with six downloadable chapter excerpts plus an article about stuttering, authorized by Jezer)
- Opening of the Western Frontier (Bluewood Books, 2000), in The Making of America series. ISBN 091251745X
- The Civil War (Bluewood Books, 2001), in The Making of America series. ISBN 0912517506
External links
- Marty Jezer at Minnesota State University, MankatoMinnesota State University, MankatoMinnesota State University, Mankato is a public four-year university located in Mankato, Minnesota, a community of 53,000 located southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul. As of Fall 2011, the student body is the third-largest in the state of Minnesota with over 15,000 students...
website