Published: December 6, 2012 Publication: Common By Craig Brown Jon Kest, a long-time community organizer and advocate for social and economic justice, died Wednesday night. Kest was was diagnosed with liver cancer this summer. Kest was the executive director of New York Communities for Change. Kest was a former chief organizer for the local ACORN chapter in New Orleans, and also former director of New York ACORN. He was the younger brother of former ACORN National Executive D

Published: December 1, 2012 Publication: WestView News By Arthur Z. Schwartz Politics and Passion – sobering thoughts about the year that has passed and the year to come The end of 2012 was marked, for me, by death. Jessie Streich-Kest, the 22 year old activist/teacher daughter of a close friend, John Kest, was killed during Hurricane Sandy along with the son of a long time colleague, Larry Vogelman, when a tree fell on them. As the father of a 25 and 22 year old, I felt the