Alan Khazei
Encyclopedia
Alan Khazei is an American
social entrepreneur. He is the founder and chief executive officer
of Be the Change, Inc., a Boston
-based group dedicated to building national coalitions of non-profit organization
s and citizens to enact legislation on issues such as poverty and education. Previously, Khazei served as chief executive officer of City Year
, an AmeriCorps
national service program engaging 17- to 24-year-olds in a year of service in one of 19 U.S. cities and in Johannesburg
, South Africa
. Khazei co-founded City Year with Michael Brown, his friend and roommate at Harvard College
and Harvard Law School
.
Khazei has led two unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senator
from Massachusetts. He placed third in the Democratic
primary in the 2010 special election
, and withdrew from the primary in the 2012 election
due to lack of funds and media attention.
surgeon and an Italian-American nurse. He was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in the Boston area and in Bedford, New Hampshire
. In 1979, he graduated from St. Paul's School
in Concord, New Hampshire
, where he was president of his graduating class. He graduated from Harvard College with honors in 1983 and in 1987 from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
.
, a non-profit
organization that offers 17- to 24-year-olds the opportunity to engage in 10 months of full-time community service. Khazei and Brown envisioned that a year of national service could become a commonplace bridge between high school and college.
Under his leadership, CityYear grew to employ 1,000 corps members in 16 cities across America as well as in Johannesburg, South Africa. CityYear has created 15,000 jobs. Participants have performed more than 20 million hours of service and worked to tutor and mentor two million children.
President Bill Clinton
was inspired by visiting CityYear to found the Americorps program, and Khazei worked with President Clinton to establish Americorps. More than 575,000 Americorps members have contributed upwards of 700 million hours of public service. City Year, along with thousands of other non-profit organizations, is now a member of the Americorps network.
President Barack Obama
said of the CityYear program: "Who’s the next generation that is going to lead us and inspire us and build an America we can all be proud of? When I look out at all of the City Year corps members who have been giving so much of themselves for a cause that is so much larger than themselves, I think I have an answer to that question.”
In June 2003, AmeriCorps funding was cut by 80 percent. Khazei and other service leaders organized the "Save AmeriCorps" act, a grassroots campaign culminating in a 100 hour hearing in the Capitol. At this hearing, more than 700 AmeriCorps supporters testified.
This campaign led to half of the AmeriCorps funding being restored in 2003 and to all of the previous funding plus a $100 million increase appropriated for 2004. As a result of the increased funding, the AmeriCorps program was able to engage 25,000 more corps members.
and John McCain
alongside over 700 other national service leaders. At the summit, Obama and McCain together pledged to expand national service in an event that was broadcast on national television. Reaching an estimated 100 million Americans through its 200 non-profit member groups, ServiceNation played a leading role in the drafting and April 2009 enactment of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
, which authorizes the greatest expansion of national service in America since President Franklin D. Roosevelt
created the Civilian Conservation Corps
. The ServiceNation coalition continues to advocate legislation promoting national service, such as that proposed by Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger
of California and David Paterson
of New York to created cabinet-level positions for service and volunteering.
Khazei penned an article featured on The Huffington Post
in April praising President Obama's signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, emphasizing the importance of "Big Citizenship over Big Government" and calling for a "New Patriotism" that looks to entrepreneurs and innovators in both the private and social sectors, forming new partnerships among government, the private sector, and the non-profit sector, all while taking advantage of modern technological advances that empower citizens and make government more effective and efficient. Previously, Khazei had written an article for The Huffington Post on the importance of national service "not as a Democratic idea or a Republican idea... but as an American idea" and another arguing for a renewed emphasis on ideas in political races to replace the current emphasis on fund-raising alone.
He served from 1990 to 1992 as Vice-Chair of the Commission on National and Community Service upon appointment by President George H. W. Bush
.
Khazei has served on the Boards of City Year, Citizen Schools, the Harvard Alumni Association, the Mass Service Alliance, New Profit, Inc., Serve Next, Share Our Strength, and Teach For America. He has also served on the Advisory Boards of The Ad Council, America's Promise, the Leadership Council of Boston Medical Center, the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the Partnership for Public Service.
, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, the Caring Institute Award, the William Jefferson Clinton Award, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, and the Harvard Law School Association Outstanding Alumni Award. He has received honorary degrees from Clark University
, Northeastern University, Suffolk University
, and Mount Ida College
.
seat left vacant by the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. He sought the Democratic Party
's nomination for this seat in the Democratic primary on December 8, 2009. He came in third, behind Congressman Michael E. Capuano and winner Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley
.
Khazei's campaign was the only campaign among the candidates for the Democratic primary that accepted donations only from private citizens. The campaign did not accept donations from political action committees and lobbyists. Khazei came in third place in the primary, earning 13% of the vote.
and believes in ensuring that women have full access to reproductive health care. However, he has stated that he would vote for a health care reform bill that includes the Stupak–Pitts Amendment
, and would work later to change this amendment.
Khazei supports an economic stimulus plan that focuses on job creation. He released a six-point plan to create more than 100,000 jobs in the state of Massachusetts. The plan includes a 15% tax credit for hiring, support for small businesses, investment in clean energy technologies, support for the Kerry-Boxer clean energy legislation which will create 40,000 Massachusetts jobs, and full funding for the Kennedy Serve America Act.
Khazei also believes in investing in clean energy solutions to stop climate change. He has proposed tripling the US's investment in clean energy research.
Khazei believes that public education is "the civil rights issue of the 21st century." He calls for a pragmatic approach to improving education by strengthening programs proven to work, including public charter schools and higher salaries for teachers. He also wants to ensure that college is "affordable and accessible" for every student who wishes to attend.
Khazei opposes increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan. In November, he gave a talk at Harvard University entitled "A New Approach to Afghanistan," in which he presented his recommendations for American policy in Afghanistan.
He thinks that casino gambling should not be legalized in Massachusetts. He has stated that gambling costs taxpayers $3 due to increased bankruptcies for every $1 earned in revenues.
Khazei said he would advocate to make progress in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
a central diplomatic priority, and supported a coordinated strategy with our allies to improve Israel’s relations with other Middle East states, thus enabling greater economic and political cooperation across the region. He also believes the United States should continue to fully support Israel
in combating terrorism and in ensuring the security of the state of Israel.
Khazei believes in full equality for members of the LBGTQ community. He supports repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell
, working for equal rights for same-sex couples, and passing a fully inclusive Employment Nondiscrimination Act that includes protection for gender identity expression
Khazei believes that stem-cell research should receive federal funding.
He opposes the death penalty.
In November 2009, the Boston Globe endorsed Khazei for Senate, writing: "With high hopes, the Globe endorses Alan Khazei, the prime mover behind national-service policies, as Massachusetts’ best chance to produce another great senator."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
of New York City
, former Colorado Senator Gary Hart
, and retired 4-star General Wesley Clark
also endorsed Khazei's Senate bid.
While she never give an official endorsement of Khazei (likely due to the sensitivity of the Kennedy name in the Senate election), Caroline Kennedy
came out in support of Khazei's bid, attending some of his fundraisers and claiming he would make an "amazing" Senator.
In response to the entry on September 15 of Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren
into the Senate campaign, Khazei issued a direct challenge to the other Democratic candidates — and specifically to Warren — to forego campaign funds from corporate lobbyists and all Political Action Committees. He pledged to do so himself. The Boston Globe's Noah Bierman reported that Khazei was leading the field of Democratic candidates in campaign funds as of the previous reporting period (June 30, 2011) with a reported total of $920,000, but that Senator Brown had a dramatic lead over all of the Democrats, having amassed about $9.6 million in campaign funds as of June.
He signaled on October 26, 2011 that he plans to withdraw from the race, citing a lack of funds and media attention in the wake of Elizabeth Warren
's entry into the race.
, a social entrepreneur and graduate of Tufts University
who has established several philanthropic organizations, most recently New Profit Inc.
, a group that provides grants to innovative social projects. The couple live in Brookline, Massachusetts
, with their two children, and belong to St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Brookline.
He is also the cousin of Boston TV news anchor, Kim Khazei
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
social entrepreneur. He is the founder and chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Be the Change, Inc., a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
-based group dedicated to building national coalitions of non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
s and citizens to enact legislation on issues such as poverty and education. Previously, Khazei served as chief executive officer of City Year
City Year
City Year is an education-focused nonprofit organization that partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention keeping students in school and on track to graduate...
, an AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a U.S. federal government program that was created under President Bill Clinton by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 and later expanded by 50 percent under President George W. Bush...
national service program engaging 17- to 24-year-olds in a year of service in one of 19 U.S. cities and in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Khazei co-founded City Year with Michael Brown, his friend and roommate at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
.
Khazei has led two unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Massachusetts. He placed third in the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary in the 2010 special election
United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was a special election held on January 19, 2010, in order to fill the Massachusetts Class I United States Senate seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013...
, and withdrew from the primary in the 2012 election
United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 2012
The 2012 United States Senate election in Massachusetts will take place on November 6, 2012 concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate, House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S....
due to lack of funds and media attention.
Early life and education
Alan Khazei is the son of an Iranian-AmericanIranian-American
Iranian-Americans are Americans of Iranian ancestry or people possessing Iranian and American dual citizenship.Iranian-Americans are amongst the most highly educated groups in the United States...
surgeon and an Italian-American nurse. He was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in the Boston area and in Bedford, New Hampshire
Bedford, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2000, there were 18,274 people, 6,251 households, and 5,125 families residing in the town. The population density was 556.6 people per square mile . There were 6,401 housing units at an average density of 195.0 per square mile...
. In 1979, he graduated from St. Paul's School
St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)
St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, where he was president of his graduating class. He graduated from Harvard College with honors in 1983 and in 1987 from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau is the oldest student-run legal services office in the country, founded in 1913. Located at 23 Everett Street in Cambridge, MA, the Bureau's mission is to provide an important community service while giving student attorneys the opportunity to develop professional...
.
City Year
In 1988 Khazei and his then–Harvard roommate Michael Brown founded City YearCity Year
City Year is an education-focused nonprofit organization that partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention keeping students in school and on track to graduate...
, a non-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
organization that offers 17- to 24-year-olds the opportunity to engage in 10 months of full-time community service. Khazei and Brown envisioned that a year of national service could become a commonplace bridge between high school and college.
Under his leadership, CityYear grew to employ 1,000 corps members in 16 cities across America as well as in Johannesburg, South Africa. CityYear has created 15,000 jobs. Participants have performed more than 20 million hours of service and worked to tutor and mentor two million children.
President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
was inspired by visiting CityYear to found the Americorps program, and Khazei worked with President Clinton to establish Americorps. More than 575,000 Americorps members have contributed upwards of 700 million hours of public service. City Year, along with thousands of other non-profit organizations, is now a member of the Americorps network.
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
said of the CityYear program: "Who’s the next generation that is going to lead us and inspire us and build an America we can all be proud of? When I look out at all of the City Year corps members who have been giving so much of themselves for a cause that is so much larger than themselves, I think I have an answer to that question.”
Save AmeriCorps campaign
In June 2003, AmeriCorps funding was cut by 80 percent. Khazei and other service leaders organized the "Save AmeriCorps" act, a grassroots campaign culminating in a 100 hour hearing in the Capitol. At this hearing, more than 700 AmeriCorps supporters testified.
This campaign led to half of the AmeriCorps funding being restored in 2003 and to all of the previous funding plus a $100 million increase appropriated for 2004. As a result of the increased funding, the AmeriCorps program was able to engage 25,000 more corps members.
ServiceNation
Khazei was recently recognized as one of NonProfit Times' 2008 "Executives of the Year" for his work in organizing ServiceNation, a summit event held in New York City on September 11, 2008 that featured then-presidential candidates Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
alongside over 700 other national service leaders. At the summit, Obama and McCain together pledged to expand national service in an event that was broadcast on national television. Reaching an estimated 100 million Americans through its 200 non-profit member groups, ServiceNation played a leading role in the drafting and April 2009 enactment of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act or Serve America Act was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on March 9, 2009, by Representative Carolyn McCarthy of New York. Originally titled the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act , the bill reauthorizes and...
, which authorizes the greatest expansion of national service in America since President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
created the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
. The ServiceNation coalition continues to advocate legislation promoting national service, such as that proposed by Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
of California and David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
of New York to created cabinet-level positions for service and volunteering.
Khazei penned an article featured on The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
in April praising President Obama's signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, emphasizing the importance of "Big Citizenship over Big Government" and calling for a "New Patriotism" that looks to entrepreneurs and innovators in both the private and social sectors, forming new partnerships among government, the private sector, and the non-profit sector, all while taking advantage of modern technological advances that empower citizens and make government more effective and efficient. Previously, Khazei had written an article for The Huffington Post on the importance of national service "not as a Democratic idea or a Republican idea... but as an American idea" and another arguing for a renewed emphasis on ideas in political races to replace the current emphasis on fund-raising alone.
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
Alan Khazei worked with Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act which will create 250,000 full and part-time service jobs.Other work
In 2003, Khazei helped organize the "Save AmeriCorps" campaign that testified before Congress for more than 100 straight hours and succeeded in persuading Congress to restore funding for the AmeriCorps program, of which Khazei's organization CityYear is a part.He served from 1990 to 1992 as Vice-Chair of the Commission on National and Community Service upon appointment by President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
.
Khazei has served on the Boards of City Year, Citizen Schools, the Harvard Alumni Association, the Mass Service Alliance, New Profit, Inc., Serve Next, Share Our Strength, and Teach For America. He has also served on the Advisory Boards of The Ad Council, America's Promise, the Leadership Council of Boston Medical Center, the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the Partnership for Public Service.
Awards and recognitions
In 2006, US News and World Report named Khazei one of "America's 25 Best Leaders" and the Boston Globe Magazine named him as one of "11 Bostonians Changing the World". He is a recipient of the Reebok Human Rights AwardReebok Human Rights Award
The Reebok Human Rights Award honours activists under the age of 30 who fight for human rights through non-violent means. Each year, the award is given to four or five individuals. Each receives a grant of US$50,000 that must be used to support their human rights work. The awards are underwritten...
, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, the Caring Institute Award, the William Jefferson Clinton Award, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, and the Harvard Law School Association Outstanding Alumni Award. He has received honorary degrees from Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
, Northeastern University, Suffolk University
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
, and Mount Ida College
Mount Ida College
Mount Ida College is a private college in Newton, Massachusetts offering professional undergraduate and graduate degrees.-History:The Mount Ida School for Girls was a private all-female high school founded in 1899 by George Franklin Jewett, named after the hill on which it was located in Newton...
.
2010 United States Senate campaign
Khazei ran to fill the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat left vacant by the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. He sought the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
's nomination for this seat in the Democratic primary on December 8, 2009. He came in third, behind Congressman Michael E. Capuano and winner Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley
Martha Coakley
Martha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007....
.
Khazei's campaign was the only campaign among the candidates for the Democratic primary that accepted donations only from private citizens. The campaign did not accept donations from political action committees and lobbyists. Khazei came in third place in the primary, earning 13% of the vote.
Positions on key issues
Alan Khazei supports deficit-neutral health care reform with a strong public option and measures to increase patient safety. He also wants to lower medical costs through medical malpractice reform. He supports Roe v. WadeRoe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
and believes in ensuring that women have full access to reproductive health care. However, he has stated that he would vote for a health care reform bill that includes the Stupak–Pitts Amendment
Stupak–Pitts Amendment
The Stupak–Pitts Amendment was a proposed amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2010 . It was submitted by Representatives Bart Stupak and Joseph R. Pitts...
, and would work later to change this amendment.
Khazei supports an economic stimulus plan that focuses on job creation. He released a six-point plan to create more than 100,000 jobs in the state of Massachusetts. The plan includes a 15% tax credit for hiring, support for small businesses, investment in clean energy technologies, support for the Kerry-Boxer clean energy legislation which will create 40,000 Massachusetts jobs, and full funding for the Kennedy Serve America Act.
Khazei also believes in investing in clean energy solutions to stop climate change. He has proposed tripling the US's investment in clean energy research.
Khazei believes that public education is "the civil rights issue of the 21st century." He calls for a pragmatic approach to improving education by strengthening programs proven to work, including public charter schools and higher salaries for teachers. He also wants to ensure that college is "affordable and accessible" for every student who wishes to attend.
Khazei opposes increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan. In November, he gave a talk at Harvard University entitled "A New Approach to Afghanistan," in which he presented his recommendations for American policy in Afghanistan.
He thinks that casino gambling should not be legalized in Massachusetts. He has stated that gambling costs taxpayers $3 due to increased bankruptcies for every $1 earned in revenues.
Khazei said he would advocate to make progress in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
a central diplomatic priority, and supported a coordinated strategy with our allies to improve Israel’s relations with other Middle East states, thus enabling greater economic and political cooperation across the region. He also believes the United States should continue to fully support Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in combating terrorism and in ensuring the security of the state of Israel.
Khazei believes in full equality for members of the LBGTQ community. He supports repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
, working for equal rights for same-sex couples, and passing a fully inclusive Employment Nondiscrimination Act that includes protection for gender identity expression
Khazei believes that stem-cell research should receive federal funding.
He opposes the death penalty.
Senate endorsements
Khazei accumulated a number of high-profile endorsements during his campaign.In November 2009, the Boston Globe endorsed Khazei for Senate, writing: "With high hopes, the Globe endorses Alan Khazei, the prime mover behind national-service policies, as Massachusetts’ best chance to produce another great senator."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, former Colorado Senator Gary Hart
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
, and retired 4-star General Wesley Clark
Wesley Clark
Wesley Kanne Clark, Sr., is a retired general of the United States Army. Graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and later graduated from the...
also endorsed Khazei's Senate bid.
While she never give an official endorsement of Khazei (likely due to the sensitivity of the Kennedy name in the Senate election), Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is an American author and attorney. She is a member of the influential Kennedy family and the only surviving child of U.S. President John F...
came out in support of Khazei's bid, attending some of his fundraisers and claiming he would make an "amazing" Senator.
2012 United States Senate campaign
On April 26, 2011, Khazei announced that he would be a candidate in the 2012 U.S. Senate election to represent Massachusetts, in an effort to unseat Republican Senator Scott Brown.In response to the entry on September 15 of Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren is an American bankruptcy expert, policy advocate, Harvard Law School professor, and Democratic Party candidate in the 2012 United States Senate election in Massachusetts. She has written several academic and popular books concerning the American economy and personal finance. She...
into the Senate campaign, Khazei issued a direct challenge to the other Democratic candidates — and specifically to Warren — to forego campaign funds from corporate lobbyists and all Political Action Committees. He pledged to do so himself. The Boston Globe's Noah Bierman reported that Khazei was leading the field of Democratic candidates in campaign funds as of the previous reporting period (June 30, 2011) with a reported total of $920,000, but that Senator Brown had a dramatic lead over all of the Democrats, having amassed about $9.6 million in campaign funds as of June.
He signaled on October 26, 2011 that he plans to withdraw from the race, citing a lack of funds and media attention in the wake of Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren is an American bankruptcy expert, policy advocate, Harvard Law School professor, and Democratic Party candidate in the 2012 United States Senate election in Massachusetts. She has written several academic and popular books concerning the American economy and personal finance. She...
's entry into the race.
Personal life
Khazei is married to Vanessa KirschVanessa Kirsch
Vanessa Kirsch is an American social entrepreneur widely recognized for her work in public and civic service. Kirsch is currently the President and Founder of New Profit Inc., a venture philanthropy fund based in Boston, Massachusetts...
, a social entrepreneur and graduate of Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
who has established several philanthropic organizations, most recently New Profit Inc.
New Profit Inc.
New Profit Inc. is a venture philanthropy fund based in Boston, Massachusetts. With the support of individual donors, and its partner, Monitor Group, New Profit provides multi-year financial and strategic support to a portfolio of social entrepreneurs working in education, youth development, public...
, a group that provides grants to innovative social projects. The couple live in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, with their two children, and belong to St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Brookline.
He is also the cousin of Boston TV news anchor, Kim Khazei
Kim Khazei
Kim Khazei is a news anchor woman for 7News Boston WHDH-TV and its sister station WLVI-TV .- Career :Kim Khazei began her TV career at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri, then worked for four years at KQTV in Missouri as an evening anchor and reporter....
.
External links
- Alan Khazei for U.S. Senate official campaign site
- City Year
- Be the Change, Inc.
- Big Citizenship, book site
- Blog posts at The Huffington PostThe Huffington PostThe Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Appearance on The Colbert Report, January 14, 2009
- Khazei's Tribute to Senator Edward Kennedy, August 27, 2009
- Alan Khazei on the Emily Rooney Show on WGBH Radio, September 9, 2009
- Interview with Khazei in the Harvard Law RecordHarvard Law RecordThe Harvard Law Record is an independent, biweekly student-edited newspaper based at Harvard Law School. Founded in 1946, it is the oldest law school newspaper in the United States.-Characteristics:...
, November 19, 2009