Jay Taber
- FWJ Author -
- FWJ Editorial Board - Contributing Editor
Country:United States
Interests:Communication, Protector Societies, Indigenous Movement, Activism and Social Change, Networks and Netwar, Research as Organizing Tool
Biographical Information:Jay Thomas Taber (O’Neal) derives from the most prominent tribe in Irish history, nEoghan Ua Niall, the chief family in Northern Ireland between the 4th and the 17th centuries. His maternal family name in Irish means champion. Jay’s ancestors were some of the last great leaders of Gaelic Ireland, and in 1999 he walked the fields of Kinsale where they fought. His grandmother’s grandfather’s grandfather emigrated from Belfast to South Carolina in 1768.Jay is an associate scholar of the Center for World Indigenous Studies, a correspondent to Fourth World Eye, and a contributing editor of Fourth World Journal. Since 1994, he has served as the administrative director of Public Good Project, a volunteer network of researchers, analysts and activists engaged in defending democracy. As a consultant, he has assisted indigenous peoples seeking justice in such bodies as the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations.
In a previous life, Jay worked as a sea captain in the coastal fisheries of Washington and Alaska, and has many fond memories of storytelling with American Indians. He now spends considerable time as a mentor and advisor to writers, scholars, and organizers throughout the English-speaking world.