Bill Moyer is executive director and co-founder of the Backbone Campaign, a grassroots effort to encourage citizens and elected officials to stand up for progressive values. The campaign provides creative tools, such as a 70-foot long Backbone Puppet, a Bush and Co. Chain Gang, and the iconic spine-shaped Backbone Awards, as a means to engage citizens and the media in a movement to back up leaders who put social reform on their agenda.
The most recent culmination of the Backbone Campaign's efforts is the Procession for the Future, a touring parade that uses art and imagery to deliver a compelling vision for the country. "Artists are well prepared to engage in advocacy," explains Moyer. "We understand how to take minimal resources and create a powerful message using spectacle and metaphor."
The campaign has also created a virtual Progressive Cabinet. This web-based administration features proposed nominees for positions such as Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of State, and Chair of the FCC -- drawing from a diverse and dynamic range of progressive thinkers, educators, scientists, artists, and historians. "We wish to be defined not by what we oppose but rather by what we propose," says Moyer.