Chris’ (he/him) work over the past two decades has focused on building the collective power of grassroots social justice organizations, and nurturing the political development and growth of the individual as an educator. Prior to joining Solidaire, Chris taught at the School for International Training (SIT) where he ran the IHP Human Rights program, a comparative study abroad program for college students studying human rights movements.

Chris has worked with an array of grassroots organizations in the US and internationally. He has worked on housing and workers’ rights campaigns with the Urban Justice Center and Freelancers Union in NYC. During the 2000s, Chris came up in the movement for global justice and spent much of the decade as an organizer and interpreter building solidarity between peoples’ movements in Thailand and the US. Chris holds a Master of Arts in Peace and Justice Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Bates College. Prior to joining staff, Chris was a member of Solidaire where he appreciated building community and learning alongside Solidaire’s community of donor organizers. Born and raised in New Jersey, Chris has never strayed far from the ocean and currently lives with his family in Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY.

What Liberation Means to Chris

Tell us why you do what you do.

My work in Solidaire is rooted in a belief that the education that happens in movements enables us to become more fully human and alive. My life has been shaped by these practices of popular education–and my aim is to deepen and broaden the ways we learn, teach, and grow together in service of movements for collective liberation.

What’s most important to you about being part of Solidaire?

I came to Solidaire to be in community with others finding joy and meaning in transforming power–at both an individual and collective level. I am deeply inspired by the leaderful social movements of our time and am committed to deepening the ways donors listen, flank, and move in alignment with frontline organizers to build the world we’re yearning for.

What does liberation mean to you?

Liberation is a process that calls us to be transformed as we transform the world around us. Liberation is radical love embodied.