Jodie Evans (born September 22, 1954) is an American political activist, author, and documentary film producer. Evans was a Democratic Party political activist who managed the 1992 U.S. presidential campaign of former California governor Jerry Brown. Evans co-founded the women's anti-war activist organization Code Pink with Medea Benjamin and others. She is the former board chair of Rainforest Action Network. In 2023, The New York Times published an article detailing the connections between her husband since 2017, Neville Roy Singham, and the Chinese Communist Party, stating that Evans was critical of China's authoritarian government in 2015. Since 2017, 25% of Code Pink's funding has come from groups connected to Singham. Evans stated in 2023 that she now strongly supports China and regards it as a defender of the oppressed and a model for economic growth without slavery or war.

Early life

Evans was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She first became interested in social justice activism when she worked as a maid in a major Las Vegas hotel as a teenager—as her coworkers organized, she marched in favor of a living wage.

Activism

Her CODEPINK protest actions include disrupting Sarah Palin's speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention, and a 2009 protest in Santa Monica against Israeli cosmetics company Ahava. Upon returning from Afghanistan, she delivered signatures from women in that country and the US to President Barack Obama asking him to send no new troops into the conflict there. In March, 2010, during a book signing by Karl Rove, she and other Code Pink members caused disruptions. At one point, Evans charged the stage towards Rove with a pair of handcuffs, declaring that she was making a citizen's arrest. On January 30, 2011, Evans was arrested for disruptive behavior at a Rancho Mirage hotel where she was leading a protest against David H. Koch and Charles G. Koch over their financial support of part of the Tea Party Movement. She is the co-founder and president of the People’s Support Foundation, a non-profit which was established in 2017 with support of former staff of software company ThoughtWorks. In 2019, Evans joined actress and activist Jane Fonda in a series of weekly rallies and acts of civil disobedience, called Fire Drill Fridays, at Washington DC's Capitol to highlight the global climate crisis, where Evans was arrested on multiple occasions along with Fonda. She was an editor of the books Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation (2004) (Co-Editor) and Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism (2005) (Co-Editor).

China

Jodie Evans was once critical of China's authoritarian government, making statements such as: "We demand China stop brutal repression of their women’s human rights defenders". In a 2023 article, The New York Times wrote that Evans was now a strong supporter of China and regards it as a defender of the oppressed and a model for economic growth without slavery or war. In 2021, Evans described Uyghurs as "terrorists". When asked if she had anything negative to say about China, Evans initially replied, "I can't, for the life of me, think of anything", but later said she had trouble using China’s phone-based payment apps. In a March 2023 interview with the Chinese Communist Party tabloid Global Times, Evans stated that Americans "have been watching US propaganda, which drives hatred and fear around China." In a podcast for China Global Television Network, Evans stated "China took everyone out of poverty."

Personal life

She was married to Max Palevsky until his death on May 5, 2010. She currently lives in Venice, California. In 2017, Evans married tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham who the New York Times claims has close ties to the Chinese Government.

Films

Organizations and boards

Evans is a member of a number of organizations and boards including:

Awards