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APN Mourns Death of Peace Activist and Civil Rights Advocate Al Stern

"Al has been a moral compass and an inspiration for all those who believe in peace and in progressive causes..." said APN President & CEO Debra DeLee.
Al Stern (r) receiving Congressional Record remarks in his honor at a recent APN event
See Rep. Kucinich's comments in the Congressional Record about Al Stern at the bottom of the page

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 24, 2008
CONTACT:  Ori Nir - (202) 728-1893

Washington D.C.-Americans for Peace Now (APN) mourned today the death of Al Stern, one of APN's longest serving Board members, a leading peace activist and a civil rights advocate.

"Al has been a moral compass and an inspiration for all those who believe in peace and in progressive causes. His work for APN follows a life of activism in pursuit of peace and social justice," said APN President and CEO Debra DeLee.

"Few people have been as passionately and persistently active in progressive causes throughout their lives as Al Stern has. The story of his life with his wife, Mickey, is intertwined with the story of the peace and social justice movements in America. They marched with Martin Luther King. They were active with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). They turned their Cleveland living room into a hub for social change. Al and Mickey helped establish the Cleveland chapter of the Committee for Sane Nuclear Policy and were pillars of the anti Vietnam War movement. Al was a trail-blazer of the pro-Israel pro-peace movement. He was the national chair of the Shalom Network, active in the New Jewish Agenda and an indefatigable APN Board member." 

"Al provided us with wisdom and guidance. His departure is a terrible loss for progressive American organizations and for progressive American causes. We will miss him terribly," said DeLee.


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REP. KUCINICH EULOGIZES A TRUE PEACE-MAKER
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On July 14, Rep. Kucinich eulogized him in the Congressional Record, noting that Al was "a man who lived his life by the principal of Tikkun Olam, the healing of the world. He dedicated himself to the cause of free speech and to cultivating the seeds of Middle East peace and understanding in the Cleveland community." Kucinich observed that Al, "advocated for mutual understanding and a two state solution long before it was widely accepted. For twenty years he engaged with and educated the Cleveland community about the costs of the current conflict and the opportunities for peaceful solutions. His work took him all over the world, where he met with the people and leaders in Israel, Syria, Egypt and Gaza. He led by example through his own commitment to educating himself and reaching out to concerned members of the community..."