William Upski Wimsatt

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William Upski Wimsatt bigraphy, stories - American writer

William Upski Wimsatt : biography

1972 –

William Wimsatt, also known as Billy or Upski (born 1972) is a social entrepreneur, author, political organizer, and former graffiti artist. Wimsatt is founder of the League of Young Voters, co-founder of Generational Alliance and the author or editor of six books, most recently .

Biography

Wimsatt was born in Chicago, attended the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Kenwood Academy, and Oberlin College. His father, William C. Wimsatt, is a philosophy of science professor at the University of Chicago.

Books

Wimsatt has written or edited six books. Wimsatt’s first book was Bomb The Suburbs (1994), a collection of essays celebrating urban life and critiquing the suburban mindset. One notable essay "We Use Words Like Mackadocious", previously printed in The Source (May 1993), celebrated and critiqued the wigger subculture. Wimsatt released No More Prisons (1999), referencing urbanism and the prison-industrial complex, in conjunction with an underground hip-hop album on Raptivism Records. Along with editing the books Another World is Possible (2001) and Future 500: Youth Organizing and Activism in the United States (2003), Wimsatt co-edited How To Get Stupid White Men Out Of Office (2004), a collection of stories from youth organizers around the world who won or swung elections. His latest book is (Akashic Books, 2010).

Political organizing

Wimsatt currently runs two small non-profit organizations, All Hands On Deck Network which organizes young people on issues and elections at "Tipping Point moments" in key states through two major projects: Local Power Network, and VOTE MOB. He also runs Gamechanger Labs, a new incubator of start-up projects. Wimsatt advocates for the idea of building a 21st Century Progressive "Super Movement" – driven by leadership from the Millennial Generation. Previously, Wimsatt co-founded Rebuild The Dream (along with Natalie Foster and Van Jones), and served as its Partnerships and Political Director. Wimsatt previously founded the League of Young Voters (2003), TheBallot.org (2004), and co-founded the Generational Alliance (2005) and the Coffee Party (2010). As a philanthropic consultant, he coined the term "Cool Rich Kids" (1999) to refer to young progressive philanthropists associated with the organization Resource Generation. He has consulted for dozens of organizations including Rock The Vote, MoveOn.org, and Green For All. He was a Fellow at the Movement Strategy Center and the New Organizing Institute, and ran the Ohio Youth Corps in 2008, a joint project of the Ohio Democratic Party and the Obama Campaign.