Lenora Branch Fulani (b. April 25, 1950, birth name Lenora Branch) is a developmental psychologist, psychotherapist and political activist in the United States. She is best known for her role as the leading public figure of a network of political and charitable organizations controlled by her mentor and fellow psychotherapist, Fred Newman; and for her presidential campaigns. In the United States presidential election, 1988, she became the first woman and the first African American to achieve ballot access in all fifty states,[1] although in 1992 she "decided to forego the stringent ballot access process in eight of the most difficult states"[2] and ultimately was on the ballot in only 39. [3] April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Developmental psychology is the scientific study of progressive psychological changes that occur in human beings as they age. ... Psychotherapy is a set of techniques intended to improve mental health, emotional or behavioral issues of individuals or family members or a whole familys interactional climate. ... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as involvement in action to bring about change, be it social, political, environmental, or other change. ... Fred Newman is a controversial philosopher, playwright and political activist. ... The presidential seal was first used by president Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Ballot access rules regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is entitled to appear on voters ballots. ...

The website of Fulani's Committee for a Unified Independent Party (CUIP) describes her as "the nation's leading African-American political independent...a pioneer of left/center/right coalitions and a longtime agitator for black political independence." [4] Her most strongly emphasized political concerns include racial equality, gay rights and crusading on behalf of what she calls the "Independent" movement. To this effect she has been active both as an independent party leader and as a coalitional partner in a wide array of often stormy attempts at establishing statewide and national third parties. This article needs cleanup. ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also...

Fulani's career is very closely connected with Newman, a controversial psychotherapist, political activist, and philosopher who was briefly associated with Lyndon LaRouche in the mid 1970s. Newman's "social therapy" was first developed 30 years ago, seeking, as a number of Marxist psychologists were at the time, to link emotional problems to social problems. Newman's early formulations of what was to become social therapy posited a need for the therapist to serve as a Marxist-Leninist organizer, helping his or her patients to overthrow the internalized and supposedly oppressive "bourgeois ego" and to accept what Newman called the "dictatorship of the proletarian ego." (Newman, Power and Authority, New York: Centers for Change, 1974.) Newman later developed a version of these ideas that purported to incorporate the work of, among others, Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky and philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and has collaborated with practitioners of postmodern, performance- and activity theory-based radical therapies in the U.S., Canada, Britain and other countries. Several former clients of social therapy say they were recruited into Newman and Fulani's secretive International Workers Party (IWP), claiming they were pressured to work full-time for little pay, mostly raising money. Various statements by ex-members, with details of Fulani's alleged role, can be found in the "ex-files" at the website [5]. Defunct California Proposition 64 North American Labour Party Party for the Commonwealth of Canada Parti pour la république du Canada U.S. Labor Party Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism; it is a branch of Marxism (and it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ... Lev Vygotsky Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky (Лев Семенович Выготский) (November 12 (November 5 Old Style), 1896 – June 11, 1934) was a Soviet developmental psychologist whose work received widespread recognition in the Western world around the 1960s. ... Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein (IPA: ) (April 26, 1889 – April 29, 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who contributed several ground-breaking works to modern philosophy, primarily on the foundations of logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of mind. ... The International Workers Party (IWP) is supposedly a secretive Marxist political organization founded by controversial organizer, playwright and psychotherapist Fred Newman. ...

In a July 2000 New York Times interview, Fulani discussed Newman's opposition to traditional boundaries in therapeutic practice, including prohibitions against "dual relationships." When asked to comment on the contention that Newman sees "nothing wrong in sleeping with patients," Fulani replied: The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

"What he's challenging there is the traditional assumption of how therapy works, that there has to be some distance in order for it to be helpful. And we disagree with that, not just from the vantage point of whether or not you can sleep with somebody you're doing therapy with, but also just in how close and how open you can be. It just gets sensationalized." (Mim Udovitch, "Odd Bedfellows," New York Times Sunday Magazine, July 9, 2000.

Fulani is a cofounder and co-executive producer of the youth program All Stars Talent Show Network, and is the co-director of The Development School for Youth, a supplementary training and career education program that offers internships at corporations and banks. She writes a nationally syndicated column and formerly co-hosted, with Newman, a weekly public affairs cable television show, Fulani!.

In 1993, Fulani joined activists who supported Ross Perot for President in the United States presidential election, 1992, in a nationwide effort to create a new pro-reform party, which she has characterizes as both "populist" and one "that could provide African-Americans with an electoral alternative." [6] In 1994 this evolved into CUIP. Henry Ross Perot (born June 27, 1930), is a billionaire American businessman from Texas best known as a candidate for President of the United States (in 1992 and 1996). ... Notes: Introduction As the 1992 presidential election approached, Americans found themselves in a world transformed in ways almost unimaginable four years earlier. ...

Early life and association with Fred Newman

Lenora Branch grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania in a working class household. She later took the name "Fulani", which is the name of a nomadic population in West Africa. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the City University of New York (CUNY), which she attended in the late 1970s. While there she became interested in Fred Newman's ideas. She underwent training at Newman's New York Institute for Social Therapy and would become his most famous disciple. The majority of my childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood was spent within spitting distance of this notorious spot. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Categories: Africa-related stubs | Burkina Faso | Cameroon | Ethnic groups of Africa | Fulani Empire | Mali | Nigeria ...  Western Africa (UN subregion)  Maghreb West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... The City University of New York (CUNY; acronym usually pronounced kyoo-nee or coo-nee), located in New York City, is the largest urban university in the United States, with more than 198,000 enrolled in degree programs, about 20,000 enrolled in non-degree programs and more than 200... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

Newman's therapy clients make up a large portion of the members in the IWP and in the various electoral political groups controlled by the IWP over the years. Fulani began as a political volunteer, and ran for Lt. Governor of New York in 1982. She helped to recruit Newman's 1984 presidential candidate, Dennis Serrette. Serrette, a well-known trade union activist, left the group shortly after the 1984 campaign and publicly denounced it as a cult in court testimony, news interviews and his own writings.[7] 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Electoral politics and the politics of personality

After running in various New York state elections in the 1980s, Fulani ran for President in 1988 as a member of the New Alliance Party, the public electoral arm of the IWP. She received 0.2% of the vote, or almost a quarter of a million votes, and was the first African American independent on the ballot in all 50 states. The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The election was held on November 8, 1988. ... The New Alliance Party was an American political party formed by psychotherapists Fred Newman and Lenora Fulani. ...

Fulani ran unsuccessfully as a New York gubernatorial candidate in 1990. She was endorsed by Louis Farrakhan, who had been politically involved with Jesse Jackson's 1988 campaign (but who had been dropped at the recommendation of Jackson's campaign advisors). Both Farrakhan and Fulani have criticized the view that the Democratic Party is the only appropriate political party for Blacks in the United States. This is a list of the Governors of New York. ... This article is about the year. ... Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. ... The Rev. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ...

Fulani again ran as the New Alliance candidate for President in the 1992 election, this time receiving 0.07% of the vote. She chose former Peace and Freedom Party activist Maria Elizabeth Munoz as her vice-presidential running mate. Munoz previously ran for the offices of U.S. Senator and governor in California. It was also in 1992 that Fulani released her autobiography, Making of a Fringe Candidate. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... United States Peace and Freedom Party logo The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a United States political party founded in 1967 as a leftist organization opposed to the Vietnam War. ... The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest executive official of the United States government, the person who, in the words of Adlai Stevenson, is a heartbeat from the presidency, and in the calculation of Vice President John Nance Garner, not worth a bucket of warm piss. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Seal of the Governor of California (without the Roman numerals designating the governors sequence) This is a list of Governors of California since statehood. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... An autobiography (from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write) is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ...

Former campaign workers on Fulani's 1992 campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) charging serious improprieties in the campaign's finances. After Newman and the campaign treasurer of the Fulani campaign both refused to answers questions from the FEC on Fifth Amendment grounds, the FEC in 1995 ordered Fulani to pay back $612,557 in Federal matching funds. Fulani appealed and the amount to be paid back was reduced to $117,000. Fulani then petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia for review of the FEC's final order, but her appeal was denied, with Judge Charles Silberman chiding her for seeking to "frustrate and delay a government investigation." (See Federal Election Commission RECORD, April 1996; Bruce Shapiro, "Buchanan-Fulani: New Team?" The Nation, Nov. 1, 1999.)

In 1994, Fulani and Newman became affiliated with the Patriot Party, one of many groups that would later compete for control of the Reform Party founded by Ross Perot. She also joined with Jacqueline Salit to start the Committee for a Unified Independent Party, an organization dedicated to bringing various independent groups together to challenge the bipartisan hegemony in American politics. In 2000, Fulani and Newman first endorsed -- then later broke with -- conservative Pat Buchanan's Presidential campaign in the Reform Party of the United States. Fulani and Newman then endorsed the Presidential candidacy of Natural Law Party leader John Hagelin, a close associate of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Later, Fulani unsuccessfully sought the Vice Presidential nomination at the national convention organized by a splinter faction of the Reform Party. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... There have been several groups called the Patriot Party, the Patriotic Party, or similar: Aruba — Patriot Party Canada — Patriot Party of Canada, British Columbia Patriot Party Ghana — New Patriotic Party Honduras — Patriotic Renovation Party Liberia — National Patriotic Party New Zealand — Patriot Party Poland — Patriotic Party United States — Patriot Party (a... The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues--and... Henry Ross Perot (born June 27, 1930), is a billionaire American businessman from Texas best known as a candidate for President of the United States (in 1992 and 1996). ... Pat Buchanan Patrick Joseph Buchanan (born November 2, 1938), is an American author, syndicated columnist, and television commentator. ... The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 under the belief that Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital... The Natural Law Party is a trans-national political party with national branches in over 80 countries. ... John Hagelin (June 9, 1954 - ) is a theoretical physicist specializing in superstring theory, a practicioner and teacher of Transcendental Meditation and yogic flying, an electronic designer of high-end audio equpment and was a candidate for President of the United States three times. ... Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Srivastava January 12, 1917) is the founder of the TM Movement. ...

In the 2001 election for Mayor of New York City, Fulani and the Independence Party of New York endorsed the Republican candidate, Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg, once elected, approved an $8.7 million municipal bond to provide financing for Fulani and Newman to build a new headquarters for their youth program, theatre and telemarketing center. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The mayor of New York is elected every four years. ... The Mayor of New York City is the chief executive of the New York City government, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of New York. ... The Independence Party is a political party in the U.S. state of New York. ... The Republican Party was established in 1854 by a coalition of former Whigs, Northern Democrats, and Free-Soilers who opposed the expansion of slavery and held a Hamiltonian vision for modernizing the United States. ... Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Mike Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is a prominent businessman, the founder of Bloomberg L.P., the 20th and current Mayor of the City of New York since its 1898 consolidation, and the 108th overall. ...

The Bloomberg alliance with Fulani and her associates in part was the result of New York's fusion rule, which allowed Bloomberg to aggregate his votes on all ballot lines. The 59,000 votes that Bloomberg received on the Independence Party ballot line exceeded his margin of victory over the Democratic (and Working Families Party) candidate, Mark J. Green. In the municipal election of 2003, Bloomberg and Fulani were among those endorsing a proposed amendment to the New York City Charter to establish non-partisan elections. Although Bloomberg spent $7 million of his own money on this pet project of Fulani and Newman, it was rejected by the voters. Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties support a common candidate, pooling the votes for all those parties. ... The Working Families Party (WFP) is a left-wing-progressive minor political party in the US state of New York, which has now expanded efforts into a number of other states, including the creation of the Connecticut Working Families Party and organizing projects in a number of other states. ... Mark J. Green is a public interest lawyer, author and politician living in New York City. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In September 2005 Fulani and other Newman followers were expelled from the State Executive Committee of the New York Independence Party. The party's state chairman, Frank MacKay, who had been a long-time ally of Fulani, claimed that the reason was that they had become an embarrassment to the party because of Fulani's public refusal on NY 1 (cable news channel) to repudiate an earlier statement in which she had called Jews "mass murderers of people of color." [8] In subsequent interviews, MacKay admits that he had been aware of the alleged anti-Semitic statements for many years, but took no action during the time he was closely allied with the Fulani "faction."

Buchanan controversy

During the 2000 election, Fulani shocked many when she endorsed Pat Buchanan, then running on the Reform Party ticket. Some papers incorrectly reported that Fulani was Buchanan's running mate, but this position actually belonged to Ezola Foster. Fulani did, however, serve for a time as a campaign advisor. This was seen as a strange meeting of two ends of the political spectrum who had very little in common, though both candidates had previously been accused of anti-semitism. However, both Buchanan and Fulani related in populist language that they represented marginalized groups who were fed up with the two-party system. Fulani later withdrew her endorsement of the Buchanan campaign on the grounds that it had "hijacked" the Reform movement in order to further Buchanan's own right wing agenda. [9] Foster responded by claiming that Fulani was quite clear on Buchanan's objectives both before and while she worked with him. [10] Political activist Frank Morano, is currently leading an effort to oust Fulani and her allies from the leadership of the party in New York City. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Pat Buchanan Patrick Joseph Buchanan (born November 2, 1938), is an American author, syndicated columnist, and television commentator. ... Ezola Broussard Foster (born August 9, 1938) was the Reform Party candidate for Vice President in the U.S. presidential election of 2000. ... A political spectrum is a way of comparing or visualizing different political positions, by placing them upon one or more geometric axes. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... Populism is a political ideology or rhetorical style that holds that the common person is oppressed by the elite in society, which exists only to serve its own interests, and therefore, the instruments of the State need to be grasped from this self-serving elite and instead used for the... A two-party system is a type of party system where only two political parties have a realistic chance of winning an election. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... Frank Morano (born May 29, 1984 in Staten Island, NY) is an American entertainer, Radio and Television personality and political activist. ...

Community work

Fulani has worked on a number of community outreach and youth recruitment projects. In 1984, she helped found the Castillo Cultural Center in New York City, which produces plays written mostly by Newman, who calls himself a "post-modern" playwright. In 1998, Castillo merged with Newman's All Stars Project youth charity. The All Stars/Castillo theater troupe came under fire in 2004 from the Anti-Defamation League for a play entitled Crown Heights, a dramatization of the events surrounding the 1991 riots in the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. The ADL accused the play of blaming the riots on the Jews, a contention not shared by followers of Newman, who regard it as an exploration of the possibilities of transcending the long-standing tensions between Black and Jewish communities in Brooklyn and elsewhere. [11] 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Motto: Official website: City of New York Location [[Image:|250px|250px|Location of City of New York, New York]] Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R... This article is in need of attention. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the Brooklyn in New York City. ... The process by which Larkin is owned, typically followed by gloating For other uses, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ...

In January 2005, All Stars and Fulani were the target of a complaint by Molly Hardy, a former theater project director for the All Stars program in Los Angeles. Hardy told the New York State Attorney General's office that she had witnessed emotional abuse of teenagers by Fulani and that All Stars was making false claims about how many young people it worked with. Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced an investigation in July 2005. In September 2005, a city contract with All Stars to run an afterschool program for the city's Department of Youth and Community Development was put on hold until the completion of the state investigation, which the city's Department of Investigation and Agency for Children's Services had also joined.

Hardy gave interviews to the Village Voice and to NY1 News describing what describing interactions with young people by Fulani and other All Stars staff. The Voice described Hardy's account of a youth development conference:

"Fulani, introduced to the kids as 'one of the most important women in the world,' told the puzzled youths about Newman, whom she called 'the most influential person in my life,' according to Hardy. Fulani said Newman changed her life when she was a young graduate student. He had asked her if she wanted 'to end up just another poor black woman' in the field of education.

"How did she feel about a white man telling her that? one teen asked. 'Well, first of all, if any of you think that white people care about you, think again. They don't,' Fulani said, according to Hardy.

"The teens had arrived the day before on a red-eye flight, so one girl began to doze. Fulani snapped at her: 'You're performing tired. Get up and go put some water on your face and get back here and perform differently.' When the embarrassed teen returned, Fulani insisted that she ask her a question. 'The poor girl didn't know what to say,' said Hardy. 'She looked like she was going to cry.' Fulani then turned to Hardy, 'How about you? Do you have any questions?' Hardy said she just smiled and said, 'No, no questions.' I was thinking, 'Wow, I am so out of here.'" (Tom Robbins, "Tough talk from party boss," The Village Voice, June 22, 2005.)

Despite the extended coverage given to the Hardy's charges, on February 28, 2006, NY1 News reported that "a spokesperson for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer says the complaint brought by former All Stars employee Molly Hardy 'does not raise any issues that warrant actions by our office.'" ("NY1 Follow-Up: State Won't Pursue Charges Against All Star Project Officials," NY1 News, February 28, 2006.)

In 1987 Fulani and Newman began an alliance with Al Sharpton, marching with him and supporting his position in the famous Tawana Brawley case. For several years, Sharpton and Fulani publicly backed each other on some issues, but Fulani felt betrayed when in 1992 Sharpton ran for the U.S. Senate from New York as a Democrat rather than as an independent. Since then, Sharpton has kept his distance from Fulani and Newman. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Reverend Alfred Charles Al Sharpton Jr. ... Tawana Brawley (born 1972?), known after her notoriety subsided as Maryam Muhammad, was an African-American 15-year-old who created a national stir when she claimed she was raped by six white men, some of them police officers, on November 28, 1987 in the village of Wappingers Falls, New... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ...

External links

• http://www.cuip.org/ Committee for Unified Independent Party official home page
• WorldNet Daily articles by Lenora Fulani
• Fulani writes about her political history with Al Sharpton
• interview with Fulani
• Ex-iwp.org's archive of articles about Fulani; the site considers the IWP a "cult", but they appear to be attempting a comprehensive collection of articles.
• "179 Questions for Lenora Fulani" from journalist Dennis King, who is critical of Fulani.