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Issue 84, Winter 2001/2002

Jo List, a passionate supporter of the First Amendment and NCAC’s Co-Chair for the past ten years, died on November 17 in Connecticut. Jo was a committed civil libertarian who worked to advance fundamental human rights—freedom of speech and religion, racial equality, environmental issues and peace.

In addition to her activities for NCAC and the First Amendment, from 1965 to 1970, she was on the Board of the Scholarship, Education, and Defense Fund for Racial Equality.

NCAC will miss her deeply. She never shrank from a battle in defense of free expression. NCAC’s Sex and Censorship Program, which is focusing on the dangers to young people of publicly-funded “abstinence only” sex education, is an outgrowth of the Working Group on Women, Censorship and “Pornography” initiated by Jo List. Jo thought every problem could be overcome. The only question was “How”?

Jo had five children and eleven grandchildren. She was educated at Bennington College and Columbia University’s School for Library Science. Her work on behalf of the First Amendment will continue through the Jo Fund, which was established by her family on her 50th birthday, to allow NCAC to respond quickly and effectively to new First Amendment threats. Contributions to the Jo Fund in her memory may be sent to the National Coalition Against Censorship.