Jodie Evans
Jodie Evans (born September 22, 1954) is an American political activist, author, and documentary film producer.

Evans served in the cabinet of California Governor Jerry Brown and managed his 1992 campaign for the presidency.[1] Evans co-founded the women's anti-war activist organization Code Pink with Medea Benjamin and others.[2] She is the board chair of the Rainforest Action Network.
Early life
Evans was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She first became interested in social justice activism when she worked as a maid in a major Las Vegas hotel as a teenager—as her coworkers organized, she marched in favor of a living wage.[3]
Activism
Her CODEPINK protest actions include disrupting Sarah Palin's speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention,[4][5] and a 2009 protest in Santa Monica against Israeli cosmetics company Ahava.[6] Upon returning from Afghanistan, she delivered signatures from women in that country and the US to President Barack Obama asking him to send no new troops into the conflict there.[7][8]
In March, 2010, during a book signing by Karl Rove, she and other Code Pink members caused disruptions. At one point, Evans charged the stage towards Rove with a pair of handcuffs, declaring that she was making a citizen's arrest.[9] On January 30, 2011, Evans was arrested for disruptive behavior at a Rancho Mirage hotel where she was leading a protest against David H. Koch and Charles G. Koch over their financial support of part of the Tea Party Movement.[10]
She is the co-founder and president of the People’s Support Foundation, a non-profit which was established in 2017 with support of former staff of software company ThoughtWorks.[11]
In 2019, Evans joined actress and activist Jane Fonda in a series of weekly rallies and acts of civil disobedience, called Fire Drill Fridays, at Washington DC's Capitol to highlight the global climate crisis, where Evans was arrested on multiple occasions along with Fonda.[12]
She was an editor of the books Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation (2004) (Co-Editor)[13] and Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism (2005) (Co-Editor).[14]
Personal life
She was married to Max Palevsky until his death on May 5, 2010. Shecurrently lives in Venice, California. Evans' partner is tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham.[11]
Controversies
In the summer of 2010, controversy arose over Evans' alleged 2008 remark to Debbie Lee, the mother of an American soldier killed in Iraq that "Your son deserved to die in Iraq if he was stupid enough to go over there."[15] Republican candidate Meg Whitman repeated this charge in her 2010 California gubernatorial campaign, demanding that Jerry Brown return money from a fundraiser that Evans hosted. Later during the controversy, Lee told the San Francisco Chronicle that she could not identify Evans and was not sure who made the insulting remark.[16]
Films
- Stripped and Teased: Tales from Las Vegas Women (1999) (Producer)[17]
- The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends (2006) (Executive Producer)[18]
- South Central Farm: Oasis in a Concrete Desert (2008) (Executive Producer)[19]
- The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009) (Executive Producer)[20]
- The People Speak (2009) (Producer)[21]
- Rooted in Peace (2012) (Self)[22]
- The Square (2013) (Executive Producer)[23]
- Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia (2013) (Self)[24]
- We Are Many (2014)[25]
- The Yes Men Are Revolting (2014)[26]
- The Brainwashing of My Dad (2015) (Executive Producer)[27]
- This Changes Everything (2015) (Executive Producer)[23]
- Shadow World (2016) (Co-Executive Producer)[28]
- Always in Season (2019) (Co-Executive Producer)[29]
Organizations and boards
Evans is a member of a number of organizations and boards including:
- CODEPINK: Women for Peace (Co-founder)[30]
- California Arts Council[31]
- The People's Forum[32]
- Drug Policy Alliance[33]
- Rainforest Action Network[34]
- Institute for Policy Studies[35]
- World Festival of Sacred Music[36]
- 826LA[37]
- Office of the Americas[38]
- Sisterhood is Global Institute[39]
- Women's Media Center[40]
- Global Girl Media[41]
- Schumacher Center for a New Economics[42]
Awards
- Levantine Cultural Center 2010 East-West Vision of Peace Award [43]
- Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains 2008 Tedi Winograd Courage Award - Outside the Party [44]
- Death Penalty Focus 2007 Rose Elizabeth Bird Commitment to Justice Award [45]
References
- "Jodie Evans speaks at 1992 DNC". YouTube. 2008-07-16. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- Code Pink "About Us" page Archived February 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- "PureWow: Women's Fashion, Beauty, Life Hacks & Recipes". Archived from the original on 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- Marinucci, Carla (2008-09-04). "CodePink at the RNC: The Tradition Continues : Politics Blog". Sfgate.com. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "CODE PALIN - Sarah's RNC Speech Interrupted by Protest". YouTube. 2008-09-04. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Welcome to the Santa Monica Daily Press". Smdp.com. 2009-07-29. Archived from the original on 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- Don Hazen (2009-10-17). "CodePink Founder Jodie Evans Challenges Obama Up Close and Personal on His Afghanistan Policy". AlterNet. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Code Pink Delivers Afghan Petition To President - News Story - KTVU San Francisco". Ktvu.com. 2009-10-16. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Karl Rove heckled, called 'war criminal' at book event". CNN. 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- Pilkington, Ed (30 January 2011). "Greenpeace protests at Koch brothers' rally". The Guardian. London.
- Reid Ross, Alexander; Dobson, Courtney (January 18, 2022). "The Big Business of Uyghur Genocide Denial". New Lines. Fairfax University of America. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- "Jane Fonda at 81, Proudly Protesting and Going to Jail". NYT. 2019-11-03.
- Levine, Mark; Addario, Lynsey; Mortensen, Viggo; Perez, Pilar (2003). Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation. ISBN 0972143696.
- Benjamin, Medea; Evans, Jodie (2005). Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism. ISBN 1930722494.
- Phillip, Abby. "Anti-war groups battle for survival - Abby Phillip". POLITICO.
- Marinucci, Carla (2010-08-26). "Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans disputes "painful" Whitman campaign charges about alleged statements to Gold Star mom (VIDEO) : Politics Blog". Sfgate.com. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Stripped & Teased | Credits". Bal-Maiden Films. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Jodie Evans". www.imdb.com.
- "South Central Farm - Oasis in a Concrete Desert". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009) - IMDb". www.imdb.com.
- "The People Speak (2009) - IMDb". www.imdb.com.
- "Rooted in Peace (2016) - IMDb". www.imdb.com.
- "The Square (2013) - IMDb". www.imdb.com.
- "Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia". rottentomatoes.com.
- "We Are Many (2014) - IMDb". www.imdb.com.
- "The Yes Men Are Revolting (2014) - IMDb". www.imdb.com.
- "The Brainwashing of My Dad (2015) - IMDb". www.imdb.com.
- "Shadow World (2016) - IMDb". IMDb.
- "Always in Season (2019) - IMDb". IMDb.
- "CODEPINK : Jodie Evans". Codepink4peace.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Press Releases". arts.ca.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-06-19.
- "The People's Forum". The People's Forum.
- "Board". Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- "Board of Directors | Rainforest Action Network". Ran.org. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Institute for Policy Studies: Trustees". Ips-dc.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- ".:. World Festival of Sacred Music .:". www.festivalofsacredmusic.org. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010.
- "About". 826LA. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "About OOA | Board of Directors". Office of the Americas. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Sisterhood Is Global Institute". Sigi.org. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Women's Media Center". Womensmediacenter.com. 2011-06-17. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- Archived February 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- "Board of Directors".
- "2010 East-West Awards Celebrate Three Remarkable Women | Levantine Cultural Center". Levantinecenter.org. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- "Progressive Dems Celebrate Birthday - Topanga Messenger".
- "Past Honorees at DPF Annual Events". Death Penalty Focus.