Since 1984 I have worked with Norman Lear on a variety of projects involving politics, public policy, cultural change and philanthropy. Norman Lear's personal website is at www.normanlear.com. Among the Lear-related projects worth checking out are:

The Declaration of Independence Road Trip and Declare Yourself
After acquiring one of the original printed copies of the Declaration of Independence -- only 25 copies are known to exist, most of which are owned by institutions -- Lear organized a national tour to exhibit the "people's Declaration." The tour was part of a larger effort to promote civic engagement.

People for the American Way
This Washington, D.C., advocacy group remains the leading progressive voice for constitutional rights and liberties. People for the American Way is at the ramparts of many fights for public education, church/state separation, free speech, civil rights, gay and lesbian rights, and cultural pluralism.

The Norman Lear Center, USC Annenberg School for Communication
Lear founded this center in 2000 to host the multidisciplinary study of entertainment as a force in so many aspects of contemporary culture. The center is a fresh attempt to stimulate new thinking about entertainment's appeal, its content and its consequences -- with a emphasis on questions of values.

The Business Enterprise Trust
From 1989 to 1998, the BET aggressively identified exemplary acts of social innovation in business, and then showcased them through an annual awards ceremony and educational materials. The BET is now defunct, but its case studies of socially committed companies can be ordered via Harvard Business School Publishing.