Activism

BA U.Michigan - Russian Studies (‘84, US/Soviet Nuclear Policy) and Harvard Law School (‘87, immigration, human rights). 

Internship political asylum NGO; helped write brief for Sanctuary Cases; helped write brief to bring Pol Pot before Intntl Criminal Court. 

Pro Bono - prepared Political Asylum Cases.

Malibu PTA President, Malibu Planning Commissioner.

Large scale community and school muralist. 

Volunteer at Malibu Day Labor NGO.

Volunteer in local political campaigns.

Malibu Dolphin Award for contributions to the Malibu Community.

Volunteer Aliso Pico Village Elementary - housing project Los Angeles. 

Exec. Producer Sands of Silence: Waves of Courage, award-winning sexual violence documentary, sandsofsilence.org. 

Exec. Producer I Belong, (GOTV) Detroit film featuring BIPOC/LGBTQIA voters, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZotPmVwa0Pj6L3x_3xzGnA.  

Co-Founder Lunch Bag Ladies - lunches for homeless/hungry

GOTV/Election Protection/Civil Rights Activist - Co-founder @lettersfordemocracy

GOTV/Election Protection/Civil Rights Activist - Member of Detroit’s When You Vote I Win (WYVIW, gotvmi.org) 

Guardian article featuring some of Deirdre’s work in Detroit: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/31/michigan-abortion-proposal-3-campaign. 

Immigration Activist/Humanitarian/Writer/Speaker - serves with/member of/donates to: Team Brownsville, Brownsville Good Neighbor Settlement House, Gaby Zavala, RGV Catholic Charities, Florence Project, The Inn, No More Deaths, Humane Borders, Salvavision, Borderlands Collective, Border Angels, Jewish Family Services San Diego, Al Otro Lado, American Friends Service Committee, Shut Down Adelanto, CLUE, SoCal ACLU, Immigrants’ List, Immigration Defense Coalition, National Lawyers Guild, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, LA and CA County Bar Associations’ Immigration Sections, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Coalition Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles, The Border Chronicle, Witness at the Border.

Former Board Member SoCal ACLU. 

Immigration/civil rights/democracy speaker - small groups via zoom/in-person gatherings. To arrange a dialogue, contact Deirdre at abitofearth7@gmail.com. No fees or other costs.

Deirdre co-founded an NGO to cure Familial Pulmonary Fibrosis, a disease that’s now killed nine people in her family. For years, she served on the board as a strategic guide, fundraiser and spokesperson. After her service ended, the foundation merged with another. Here, she advocates on Los Angeles public television. It was a long time ago and on a different topic, but it gives a sense of how Deirdre speaks.