About Us
Summary (if you don’t want too read much)
GoLeft is a web-based project designed to assist small, local, progressive groups around the country by attracting volunteers and other resources to their work.
What’s “Above the Frey?”
Above the Frey is the nonprofit organization that supports the websites GoLeft.org and AbovetheFrey.org. (Frey is the Norse god of peace and prosperity; a fitting image for a progressive organization.)
About GoLeft
The goal of GoLeft is to build an online community where we, as isolated progressive activists, can gather.
We want to do something different here. GoLeft is not just a site for individuals to aimlessly list their activities. We’re a community. A community of activists. A community of progressive-minded media junkies. A community of people who understand the web as a portal to in-person actions. We think about this virtual site as a gateway to building our real-world activities.
We are working to make sure the progressive work going on out there is reaching as wide an audience as possible.
GoLeft is a social network for progressive activists because it’s a place that marries the things we like to talk about (popular culture) with the things we need to talk about (advocacy). GoLeft is also an ideal place to spotlight activists who aren’t receiving the media coverage they deserve. There is a great deal of progressive work currently being done around the country that can serve as inspirational models for people nationwide to advance or ignite their own activism.
Volunteer for GoLeft!
If you are interested in volunteering for GoLeft, download the form and email it to .
About the Groups
GoLeft uses videos as its primary means of linking progressive non-profit organizations to similar and likeminded people across the country. These videos profile organizations doing cutting-edge community organizing and policy-campaign work, and the celebrities who support them. Featured organizations are all united in the struggle against racism, sexism, and classism and broadly fall into one or more of the following categories: HIV/AIDS, Environmental Justice, Reproductive Rights, Anti-Violence, Anti-War, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights, and Racial and Economic Justice.
Click here if you would like to submit a video of your organization’s work.
About You
Your participation is your own. Viewing access to GoLeft is open to everyone. Adding content requires membership.
Please join! We encourage you to become more involved. We invite you to become active. We hope you meet other people to become active with. Let us know what your experiences have been like on the site.
We’re here to foster progressive activity.
Contact Us
Email:
Mail: P.O. Box 150-324, Brooklyn, New York 11215
The People Behind the Site
Patricia Jerido, Executive Director Pat Jerido holds the belief that movements are strengthened more by the connections that individuals have to each other than individual’s attachments to ideas or ideology. This has not stopped her from the occasional debate on hegemony to the detriment of some friendships (the ongoing struggle to put theory into practice!)
She seeks out pop culture that can help her envision a better world, validate her life choices or has characters living in really great apartments. She is adamant that everything you need to know about organizing you can learn from watching Revenge of the Nerds.
Maggie Murphy, Board Member
Affiliation: Life Magazine
If you don't count attending a movie screening of 1980's No Nukes concert, Maggie Murphy's first political protest was as a student reporter covering the organizing efforts of an NYU student who'd go on to marry Above the Frey's Executive Director, Pat. Having met Pat at a party supporting CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador) and bonding over a love of pop culture, Maggie's been honored to support Pat in all her endeavors, especially in her foresight and determination to merge the worlds of activism and pop culture with Above the Frey and its website, GoLeft. As an entertainment editor with more than 15 years experience, she hopes she can help bridge relationships with the entertainment community and give voice to her Bono-esque belief that the very best entertainment can inspire, initiate change, and make a world of difference. Now, if you'll excuse her, she needs to go home and watch Heroes (a truly 21st century TV show), root for Friday Night Lights (the best drama about class on TV) and bemoan the decline of Lost (Others. Schmothers).
Bharathi Sethumadhavan, Board Member
Affiliation: The Clark Foundation
Bharathi is passionate about supporting progressive action at the community level. Using lessons learned from the Civil Rights and women’s suffrage movements, she sees changing policies, starting at the local level and engaging youth. For her, being involved with Above the Frey means being a part of a vast network of activists that are passionate about social justice issues. Whether it's about stopping the illegal ivory trade or helping raise awareness around HIV/AIDS discrimination, Above the Frey is a great way for individuals to connect our ideas and broadcast our action across the country.
A self-declared junkie of Pink is the New Blog, GoLeft mergers her two loves: pop culture and activism. She is excited to check out GoLeft to keep up with what her favorite celebrities are advocating for and how they can use their star power to move progressive issues to the spotlight. Her appeal to celebrities is to use, not waste, the attention you’re getting. Use media and the cameras for something important. Celebrity activism is powerful and necessary if we want change.
Desiree Flores, Volunteer
Affiliation: Ms. Foundation for Women
Desiree is a 29-year old Chicana from California. She currently works at the Ms. Foundation for Women where she oversees programming and grantmaking for groups all over the U.S. working on reproductive rights, women and AIDS and sexuality education advocacy. Coming from a family of farmworkers, she is committed to working on issues pertaining to human rights and social justice of all kinds. She is also completely obsessed with many facets of popular culture. You will often find her running to the nearest newsstand every Friday when US Weekly hits the stands. She watches way too much TV for her own good. Some of her favorites include "Days of our Lives," "Deal or no Deal," "The Colbert Report," and pretty much any reality television program that votes off someone every week. She is an unapologetic pop music fan and is still in denial about Britney's meltdown.
She volunteers for GoLeft because it marries her two favorite things: social justice and pop culture. People love to network, watch videos, be inspired, get involved, talk about movies/music/t.v. and change the world. GoLeft gives people the opportunity to do it all!
Caroline McAndrews, Volunteer
Affiliation: Building Movement Project
Caroline spends her days working with the amazing Building Movement Project (http://www.buildingmovement.org) developing products that get distributed to nonprofits and allies throughout the country to help them work towards progressive social change and justice. She spends her nights getting her news from Extra and Entertainment Tonight, and watching really bad network television that hurts so good. Above the Frey is the perfect place for those two worlds to collide, and she doesn’t have to keep her opinions about America’s Next Top Model (or systemic inequalities for that matter) hidden behind her lefty activist sheen. Plus, she can’t get enough of those breakfast meetings at Antique Café (http://www.antiquecafeny.com/)!
Adria Robbin, Volunteer, Activist
Affiliation: American Jewish World Service
Adria laughs, votes and watches Top Model in her hometown of Brooklyn. A dancer, artist and former MySpace superstar, Adria loves being behind-the-scenes at GoLeft. She makes her living in the progressive non-profit arena, working with such organizations as the Third Wave Foundation, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the American Jewish World Service, and the Posse Foundation. She believes GoLeft will fill a missing niche on the Web and become an invaluable connection between an array of activists. Adria is a living, breathing manifestation of the F Word (Feminism!) and she is passionate about youth leading the way to social justice. She believes that social justice being served includes not only things like legalized gay marriage, but Joan and Melissa Rivers covering the NAACP Image Awards as well as the Oscars. Just like you, she is grooving to the new Justin Timberlake album and she enjoys cruising the celebrity playlists on iTunes. Did you know that Mos Def is on Al Gore’s list? …“My Umi said shine your light on the world, shine your light for the world to see.” Rock on, Mr. President!
Affiliations listed for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement of GoLeft.
