Biography

EUGENE “Gus” NEWPORT is a social justice activist, community/economic development consultant, and has worked for several foundations and served on the faculties of MIT, Yale, UC Santa Cruz, U Mass Boston and Portland State. He was the two-term Mayor of Berkeley, CA (1979-1986). During his tenure he served on the advisory board of the US Conference on Apartheid and the Committee on The Question of Palestine.  He served as the American Representative as Vice President on the World Peace Council. 

During the 1960’s he chaired the largest civil rights organization in Rochester, NY. The Monroe County Non-Partisan Political League.Gus knew Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and worked closely with Malcolm X.  Gus was traveling with Malcolm four days before he was assassinated, and in 2005 Gus served on the five-person advisory body to oversee the planning to rebuild New Orleans following Katrina.

He directed the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, the only non-profit organization in the US to receive the powers of Eminent Domain due to a community master plan. He gave the commencement speech at Heidelberg University in 2009 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters.