Edgar James

I grew up in Portand, Oregon, attended Catholic schools (a monastery for high school), and attended Portland State University (“PSU”) where I was student body vice president in my second year and head of Oregon Students for Kennedy in 1968. Thanks to the PSU faculty, I went to Columbia University in September 1969 on a 4 year fellowship for a Ph.D. in recent French history and International Affairs, principally French speaking Africa. The Kent State and Jackson State killings ended my studies in May 1970 as Columbia and many other universities shut down in the face of massive student protests. After some work recruiting and managing student involvement in anti-war Congressional and Senate campaigns in the mid-Atlantic and north east, I was recruited to work in Appalachia all of 1971-72 building opposition to the head of United Mine Workers, Tony Boyle, who had arranged the murder of his election opponent, Joseph (“Jock”) Yablonski and his family. A judge ordered a new election two years later, which I and another activist ran, and we won. 1 But the lawyers were fundamental to the effort.

My father never finished 4 th grade but my mother graduated high school. They died when I was younger (1964; 1971). I worked in the miners union from 1973-75, organized the 1973 convention and coordinated support for the Harlan County strike for union recognition and a contract. Thanks to a brilliant lawyer and close friend who was part of our reform effort who suggested that I apply to law school, I attended Harvard Law School (JD) and School of Public Health (MPH) and graduated in 1979.

My law firm mainly represents workers, unions and non-profits. I am active in human rights work and immigration, principally involving Latin American, with the National Security Archive and the Washington Office on Latin America (“WOLA”). But thanks to a very old (1880’s) and very inclusive Jewish refugee organization, HIAS, my wife, Kathy Kinsella, and I support three young women refugees from Afghanistan. She and I have been trying to get their parents and younger brother out, but, despite the fact that their father worked for the American military at Bagram, this administration has made clear that this will not happen. And the administration has since announced that it is removing refugee protection for the Afghans who currently reside in the US.

Sherman Teichman and his EPIC classes were a very important inspiration to our daughter, Mara, at Tufts.