Sultana Moni Alam

Moni Alam is a immigrant mother from Bangladesh and founder of the South Asian Women’s Human Rights Organization in Toronto, Canada. Moni was an undocumented worker in New York City until 2006 when her husband was deported under ‘Special Registrations.’  Moni and her children were forced to leave the U.S. and migrated to Canada, where she founded DRUM’s sister organization, SAWRO.  As the Director of SAWRO, Moni organizes South Asian migrant families, runs community service programs for women and girls, and speaks nationally for immigrant rights and civil liberties in Canada.

Kazembe Balagun

Kazembe Balagun is an organizer, writer and cultural worker who lives in the Bronx.  For 20 years, Balagun has been active in a number of different movements including the Student Liberatin Action Movement, The Coalition to Free Mumia Abu Jamal and Blacks Against the War. Currently he is a member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and serves as co-director of the Brecht Forum New York Marxist School where he coordinates education and outreach. Balagun earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Black and Puerto Rican Studies from Hunter College, City University of New York and a Ms. Ed (Childhood Education) from Pace University. His writings have been published in The L Magazine, Guardian UK, Indypendent and in Anthology Interviews with Octavia Butler (University of Mississippi Press).

Judith LeBlanc

Judith in her capacity as the Field Director for Peace Action, works with 35 affiliates representing 100,00 members for a demilitarized US foreign policy. Peace Action’s primary focus is the Move the Money Campaign, an effort to organize grassroots coalitions of community, labor and peace groups to change national spending priorities through local resolutions, legislative pressure and electoral activities. Ms. LeBlanc is currently helping to coordinate the activities of the New Priorities Network, a national network of community, labor and faith groups who are working to end the militarization of the federal budget to fund human needs. She has worked on a national level for the last 30 years on campaigns ranging from organizing labor marches, legislative lobbying to peace, disarmament and solidarity activities. Ms Le Blanc began her national political activity in 1973, working with the legal defense committee for the Wounded Knee occupation on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. She is also an award winning, independent video and print journalist. Ms. Le Blanc has traveled extensively in the Middle East. In 2006, she participated in a peace delegation to the Middle East meeting with Iraqi parliamentarians in Amman, Jordan. She and others from the delegation went to Lebanon and spent the last week of the 2006 war, meeting with non-governmental organizations, displaced families in South Beirut, and labor and community leaders on the humanitarian efforts to respond to the crisis. Judith is a member of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma.

Syeda Parveen

Syeda Parveen is an immigrant from Bangladesh and service industry worker in Brooklyn, NY.  Ms. Parveen has been a member of DRUM since 2009 organizing her community for immigrant and workers rights.  She has worked on progressive issues in her native Bangladesh as well.

Miguel Ramirez

Born in El Salvador, Mr. Ramírez graduated from the University of El Salvador with a degree in Biology.  His awareness for economic and social justice had manifested itself early in his life. From 1980 to the present he has volunteered his expertise in organizing, educating and activating Salvadorans regarding immigration, cultural, health and community issues.  As an example, Mr. Ramírez was the Board of Director/President of CENTRO HISPANO “Cuzcatlán” for more than ten years where, on daily basis, was a policy-maker regarding all aspects of educating the Latino community.  For seven years, he was Board of Director/President of CENTRO SALVADOREÑO de New York; a Board of Director Member of the Central American Refugee Center which provided legal assistance in Long Island, NY. Mr. Ramírez’s professional life includes that of lecturer, instructor and research assistant at the University of El Salvador in the field of Biology, Zoology and Animal Physiology, to name of few of the subjects. Mr. Ramírez was the U.S. Representative of the Federation of Independent Associations and Unions of El Salvador. He served as keynote speaker in different unions, universities, churches and community events which addressed the violation of human and labor rights in El Salvador.  Currently, Mr. Ramírez is the Human Rights Specialist for the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

 

Shahid Chowdhury

Shahid Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi immigrant and a co-founder of DRUM. He has been involved with DRUM since 2000 and has supported DRUM's engagement in the community and arts and cultural work.

 

Bekah Wolf

Bekah Wolf is an Immigration Attorney and has been an ally of DRUM since 2001.