A national leader in the fight for racial justice, Erin Heaney is a child of Buffalo, NY, where she was born and raised by extended families of Irish and Italian descent and still lives with her
wife. She found her way to organizing through her father’s union organizing and her grandfather’s legal advocacy for justice in the north of Ireland. Her early organizing effort led to the shutting down of Tonawanda Coke and other corporations that poisoned her community. Building collective power with working-class people and beating corporate polluters inspired Erin to think bigger about what is possible. As the ED of SURJ, Erin expanded the organization's focus to build working-class power among white communities and voters throughout the US, focusing on the South, Appalachia, and the Rust Belt to defend and expand multi-racial democracy. She brings a deep love for her people and family to the fight against right-wing extremism and for a just and fair society for all people.