Q & A Responses

Tony Ndege (the ending of his last name sounds a lot like reggae), presently also serves as Co-chair of North Carolina Green Party. For over two decades, Tony has organized from the local to international level for social justice, labor justice, the rights of immigrants and the undocumented, against war and military intervention, against the US embargo on Cuba, and against water contamination from coal ash and pollution. He has worked as a lead organizer for a wide range of major movements and events locally and nationally: from organizing #BlackLivesMatter actions events to Occupy Wall Street, from co-organizing the largest-ever protests against Duke Energy (one of the largest polluters in the nation), to uplifting the demand to make energy publicly owned, and from organizing protests and events standing up to Bank of America and Wells Fargo's criminal malfeasance to the largest statewide and national actions against the second Iraq War.

Tony has led or co-organized several hundred events including rallies, marches, teach-ins, debates, films, concerts, speaker tours, campaigns, immigration defense, political theater, etc. Just a few organizations he has collaborated with include FLOC (Farm Labor Organizing Committee), NC Against Corporate Power, Industrial Workers of the World, NCWARN, NC NAACP, Rainforest Action Network, Campus Antiwar Network, Black Alliance for Peace, Healthcare for All NC, UE150, and Southern Workers Assembly among others. Professionally and artistically, Tony has organized, assisted with, and performed in hundreds of events including auditions, interviews, concerts, plays, short films, operas, etc.

Tony's experience with the Green Party US began as an Occupy Wall Street activist and co-organizer of the DNC protests in Charlotte in 2012, where he first met 2012 Presidential candidate Jill Stein. Subsequently, he participated in Global Climate Convergence as a lead co-organizer for two events in his state. In fall 2015, in cooperation with Bruce Dixon and the North Carolina GP leadership, he co-organized a four-city cross-state tour for Dr. Jill Stein. Tony eventually became the North Carolina Ballot Access Coordinator and later the State Volunteer Coordinator for the Stein/Baraka campaign. Later, he had the honor to serve as Mid-Atlantic regional coordinator for the Stein/Baraka campaign, where he had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with thousands of Greens and supporters across the region. Subsequently in 2016, Tony was elected co-chair of the NC Green Party. Tony also serves on the GPUS Ballot Access Committee as the Southeast Regional coordinator, and he is a member of the Green Party Black Caucus and Lavender Caucus.

When serving as North Carolina Volunteer Coordinator for Jill 2016, NC Greens achieved historic election results for Stein/Baraka as write-in candidates, including the highest number of write-in votes for a Presidential candidate in North Carolina history. They accomplished this success via meetings with supporters in every major city in NC, and thanks to fantastic volunteer organization and personal motivation of so many NC supporters! These write-in campaign results were a major factor in passing legislation in fall 2017 that dramatically lowered our ballot access signature requirements from over 94,000 to about 12,000 signatures. As a result of these new laws, the North Carolina Green Party was able to achieve ballot access for the first time ever. It has become the first progressive or left party to achieve North Carolina ballot access in over 37 years! In less than three months after winning ballot access, NCGP interviewed several prospects and successfully recruited 4 strong candidates for the 2018 Elections ranging from US Congress to Soil and Water Supervisor and intends to build upon this success next year.

During Tony's tenure as state co-chair, NCGP has grown from one functioning local to five region-wide locals, with plans to add more over the next year. NCGP has successfully restructured the state party into a dues-paying organization while significantly increasing membership. NCGP has co-organized several events, such as helping coordinate a statewide tour of Dr. Margaret Flowers and a presentation by Ajamu Baraka for its 2017 Spring Gathering. As a founding member of his new regional local, Triad Area Greens, Tony worked on its first electoral campaign, (CJ Brinson for Greensboro City Council), where he served as a fundraiser and assistant campaign coordinator.

Regional Organizing:

Co-Lead organizer of several major Black Lives Matter marches in Winston-Salem during the 2020 protest wave over George Floyd, Jacob Blake, John Neville and Andrew Brown Jr.
Lead organizer local Palestine Solidarity rallies
Helped issue the call for and participated in a week long occupation of the Governor’s Mansion over NC SB168 which would have made jail death investigations and evidence confidential. It was eventually vetoed followed by the arrest of five officers in my county the next day for a jail death.
Organized local Protests over local jail deaths
Co-founded the Left Unity Study Political Education group with SPUS and other members. www.leftunitystudy.com

Green Party Work:

Present Cochair of NC Green Party
Served on the Steering Committee for a little over three years until 2021.
Helped to nearly double Ballot Access Committee membership and regular attendance.
Helped to fundraise online close to 10,000 for Ballot Access and wrote several fundraising pitches.
Helped to bring EcoAction activity to a whole new level.
Reactivated Outreach and recruitment to that committee.
Co-Organize multiple Outreach Committee Trainings
Co-Organized a revitalization of Earth Day to May Day actions - actions in states
Co-Led Several EcoAction Zoom meetings and move from purely email communication to Zoom meetings some of which had over 60 or more attendees.

Major Goals as Steering Committee Member in 2022-2024:

We must increase quality supporters and number of contacts in our database. Without a much larger database we will not ever be able to fundraise more.
I will work hard to increase support for ballot access projects.
We must increase general volunteer engagement with the national party from our database. A huge number of people aren't being contacted about their interests
I will consistently vote fairly and correctly even if I have political differences with someone making a proposal.
I will maintain transparency at all times and I will not use my position or vote as a means of circumventing democratic decision-making or inappropriately against others.
We need national organizing and fundraising strategies. These problems should not be expected to be solved in small siloed off committees. These much be national projects with national discussions involving more representatives than delegates (Cochairs, Treasurers, Secretaries and other officers, local chairs etc).

I. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY

Presently Co-organizing a local strategy neighborhood-by-neighborhood local town halls on why the Democrats won't save us and gentrification.
Asst Manager/NC Green Coordinator and Fundraiser for the Green Party for Independent Candidate CJ Brinson's Campaign
Co-Organizer - 2012 DNC Charlotte March on Wall Street South, several of the week actions, and city encampment
Co-organizer town halls and teach-ins on "Corporate Personhood", ALEC, Sanctuary Movement, etc
Co-organized an education campaign and State Historic Marker for the several year’s long Local 22 Union Struggle led by Reynolds Tobacco Workers, mostly black women
Worked on numerous projects with grassroots organizations like Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods, Cakalak Thunder, El Kilombo, Food not Bombs, etc
Lead Organizer - Occupy Winston-Salem Assembly
Co-led successful campaign to prevent the privatization of City Hall lawns
Co-led successful campaign to save the Waughtown post office in a primarily Black and Latino district
Co-organizer - several Occupy Charlotte and Greensboro events
Co-organized the successful passing of City Council resolutions against Citizens United in Greensboro and Winston-Salem
Lead organizer of several large demonstration of local Sanctuary movement supporters againstattempts by the NC General Assembly to silence city resolutions on inclusion of immigrant's rights.
Co-organized and provided sound for protests against NC General Assembly's HB-2 "Bathroom Bill:" which also included anti-worker restrictions on cities and municipalities determining wages and benefits

Supported actions protesting laid off Reynolds Tobacco workers, Farm Labor abuse with FLOC organizers, locked-out IBEW ADT workers, laid-off hospital workers, etc.

II. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUALITY

Lead-Organizer, Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem dozens of events:

Lead or Co-Organizer of several of the largest NC Anti-Trump rallies during Election Year 2016:
- This rally started the trend of staggered interruptions
- This action made the New York Times Year in I’m not in the picture because I was on the floor as we were piled on by over by a bunch of plainclothes cops and security, however here is the video.
- (Some of these actions were co-planned with a team of organizers put together the protest of Hillary Clinton’s fundraiser for her use of the term “super predators” and Bree Newsome’s inspirational take down of the Confederate flag.)
- Inside and outside actions on Trump’s 70’s birthday in

Lead Organizer, Winston United Against Hate
Lead organizer of a series of protests against several deaths in Forsyth County These deaths were getting very little coverage however as a result of our protests the jail released inmates with health issues early and added health staff
Co-organized events with Black Lives Matter Greensboro
Co-organizer, Sanctuary City Coalition of Winston-Salem
Co-organized and provided most of the signs and sound for GSO International Airport Protest
Lead Organizer for largest Solidarity with Ayotzinapa all day protest, art, music, dance and vigil at the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh
Lead-organizer #KeepMinervaHome campaign for church sanctuary recipient Minerva Cisneros
Co-Organized several counter-protests of KKK and NSA rallies across the region

Co-organized protests and resolutions against Amendment One (Anti gay marriage constitutional amendment) in Raleigh and locally
Worked with an co-organized and provided legal observance for several events with El Cambio NC - a Dreamer and youth immigration organization
Co-organized a protest of a screening of "They Come to America" by the Sheriff of Rockingham
Co-Organized May Day Action fighting for immigrant rights and respect for the labor of the undocumented
Exposed connections between Wells Fargo, Reynolds American, ALEC, Farm Labor Abuse, layoffs and higher education austerity
Lead-Organizer of a protest at Chamber of Commerce and Wells Fargo meeting against Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf and foreclosures, fraud, and loan racism.
Co-Organizer Bank of America Shareholder Meeting Protest 2012, Lead Organizer, Bank of America Protests 2013-14
Co-Organized the largest ever protest of Bank of America

III. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM

Co-organized two of the 2014 Global Climate Convergence events for NC
Co-organized the largest ever protest of Bank of America with Rainforest Action Network and other organizations - State Communications and Recruitment as well as inside the Shareholder Meeting
Co-organized largest protest of Duke Energy after the massive Coal Ash Spill of 2014
Co-organized and made signage for a banner event in Duke Energy’s Coal Ash Plant near Belew’s Creek (love this sign in particular)
Speaker at several events leading up to the 2012 DNC, calling out Duke Energy for lending the DNC 10 million dollars.
Rally Speaker at the 2012 March on Wall Street South at Duke Energy
Collaborated with NCWARN and Rev Barber on calling for an end to the ACP Pipeline(provided sound and logistical support)
Co-organized Speak-outs and forums against Duke Energy Rate Hikes 2011, 2013,(our actionshelped cancel any new rate hikes between 2014 and 2018)
Co-organized Rally Against Duke Energy Rate Hikes 2018 with NC Green Party in Greensboroand Duke Headquarters in Charlotte which prompted lots of news coverage
Member, Charlotte Environmental Action, NC Against Corporate Power, Triad Duke Energy Action (wNCWARN), NC Green Party Energy Democracy Working Group and co-organized dozens of more actions with them,
Collaborated on dozens of other events with: NCWARN, Appalachian Voices, Catawba and Yadkin Riverkeepers, NC Beyond Coal
Winston-Salem organizer and transportation coordinator for at least 12 Moral Monday protests, Raleigh

VI. NONVIOLENCE

I have been an Anti-War organizer since the 90’s. I don’t have the time yet to find all of that footage (the best between 1998 and 2005) but here is a summary of some of my experience:

Co-organizer Greensboro Rally against Haiti Coup
Regional Co-Organizer of largest Anti-War Rally in NC History - Raleigh Feb 15 2003
Co-organizer second largest Anti-War Protest in NC History - Fayetteville 2004
Major Volunteer for ANSWER Coalition in DC during Summer of
Lead Organizer, Series of Protests and Forums on Sanctions on Iraq during and after Operation Desert Fox under President Clinton
Lead Organizer, Carolinians for Chelsea (then Bradley) Manning
Lead Organizer, several statewide tours of Rania Masri of the Iraq Action Coalition as well as amajor debate at UNCGreensboro between Masri and a Retired General.
Member Greensboro United for Peace
Collaborated on events with Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Code Pink
Helped organize at least 5 stops of Pastors for Peace since the 90’s
Campus Anti-War Organizer at Guilford College, UNCGreensboro, NC A&T State University, Appalachian State, NC School of the Arts
Led an Anti-War Convergence at Moral Monday in June 2013
Organized several local Anti-War and Mass Incarceration actions and teach-ins in Winston- Salem

Do you like this page?