Neil Zimmerman
My Father left school after the 8th grade, in 1933. He worked his whole life, at a variety of trades jobs (primarily carpentry) for years, and then after serving in Italy during WWII, worked as an executive in the NYC garment industry for decades. He raised a single-income family with four children in comfortable circumstances. I suspect that in 2020, someone with his lack of credentials would not have a similar opportunity. Driven by the events of the last five years, I have been focusing on the question: “What is the root cause(s) of the sharp divide in our country (IMO, not seen since the days of slavery and Reconstruction)? What can I do to personally help heal this divide?”
I could have just continued to individually support my own community financially as I saw fit, as I have been in the past six months. However, I felt the desire to get perspectives from those who are tied into different worthy communities, and that’s where the Board comes in. It would also be more fun to make the decisions with friends!
I wanted a diverse Board of individuals who had insight into a broader range of worthy communities – such as the progressive, activist, farming, land trust, religious, music, and dance communities.