James Thindwa (1955–2020) was a

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community buil ...

in the

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

area. He heads Chicago

Jobs with Justice Jobs With Justice (JWJ) is a labor rights organization in the United States, focused on the vision that all workers should be able to collectively bargain. It was founded in 1987 and is made up of individuals and affiliated organizations. As of ...

, where he organizes for workers rights. He was born to

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

an parents in

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. Thindwa attended

Berea College Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. It was integrated from as early as 1866 ...

, where he was a scholarship recipient and went on to earn a master's degree at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

in Ohio. He joined Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (Chicago ACTS) in June 2009.The Island: Post-Show with James Thindwa
He is on the board of directors and a contributor to newsmagazine ''

In These Times In These Times may refer to: *In These Times (magazine), ''In These Times'' (magazine), an American monthly magazine of news and opinion *In These Times (Peter, Paul, and Mary album), ''In These Times'' (Peter, Paul, and Mary album), a 2004 album b ...

'', a nonprofit and independent newsmagazine committed to political and economic democracy. Thindwa was the featured subject on PBS's ''

Bill Moyers Journal ''Bill Moyers Journal'' was an American television current affairs program that covered an array of current affairs and human issues, including economics, history, literature, religion, philosophy, science, and most frequently politics. Bill M ...

.'' He was the partner of

Martha Biondi Martha Biondi is an American historian. She is the Lorraine H. Morton Professor of African American Studies and Professor of History at Northwestern University. Biography Biondi was raised in Connecticut. She received her B.A. from Barnard Colle ...

, a professor of African American studies at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Awards

Howard M. Metzenbaum Award 2010.http://www.ohiocitizen.org/about/metzaward/2009/thindwa.html

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thindwa, James Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Activists from Chicago Berea College alumni Miami University alumni American people of Malawian descent Zimbabwean emigrants to the United States