Ady Barkan

Ady Barkan is an American lawyer and liberal activist. He is a co-founder of the Be a Hero PAC and is an organizer for the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD).

Barkan directs two of CPD’s projects: Local Progress and the Fed Up Campaign. Local Progress is the network of hundreds of progressive local elected elected officials across the country dedicated to shared prosperity, equal justice under law, sustainable and livable cities, and good government that serves the public interest. Local Progress provides its membership with policy and governance best practices, space to build solidarity, and the opportunity to partner across cities as part of a national progressive movement. Fed Up is a national campaign for full employment and a reformed Federal Reserve.

Before joining CPD, Barkan was a law clerk to the Hon. Shira A. Scheindlin in the Southern District of New York. Prior to that he was a Liman Fellow with Make the Road New York, where he represented low-wage workers seeking to recover unpaid wages, engage in collective action, and obtain safe and dignified working conditions. He helped design and draft policy proposals to enhance the quality of low-wage jobs in New York City including the right to paid sick days, regulation of major retailers, and unionization of the car wash industry. He graduated from Yale Law School and Columbia College, cum laude.

Barkan, who was diagnosed with the terminal neurodegenerative disease ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) in 2016 shortly after the birth of his son, has been called "the most powerful activist in America."

Barkan is included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.