Thistle Parker-Hartog

Thistle Parker-Hartog lives in Minneapolis with her wonderful partner and two young children, ages 2 and 4. She grew up in Oregon , where she joined in such seditious activities as the Oregon Peaceworks Walk-a-Thon, performed in the political satire theatre troupe Dr. Atomics Medicine Show, and advocated in her high school for the right to talk to her fellow students about gay rights. In El Salvador , she aided CISPES in constructing a church/community center and monitoring the 1994 elections. After moving to Minnesota , she continued to work with CISPES around issues of immigrant justice, and helped form the Anti-War Committee in 1998. In that capacity, she has worked to end U.S. wars and aggression abroad. She traveled to Colombia and met with union leaders, activists, and indigenous leaders who have been struggling to survive and make progressive change in the face of repression from their own government, a repression fueled by her government. On returning, she has carried their stories and sorrows to people of conscience in the United States . She works as a legal assistant and interpreter for low-income community members. She is known for being somewhat militant about recycling.