India Walton, who emerged this past year as a powerful presence in the progressive movement after a stunning Democratic primary victory over a 16-year incumbent mayor of Buffalo, will join the RootsAction team as senior strategic organizer. Walton will lead nationwide issue campaigns and co-create content for Progressive Hub, RootsAction’s new activist website.

“I am excited to be added to the RootsAction team. I see this as a unique opportunity to continue to fight for racial, economic, and climate justice on a broader scale,” Walton said.

Norman Solomon, RootsAction’s national director, said: “India Walton has shown that it’s possible and essential to combine visionary goals with effective grassroots organizing. With our country in desperate need of genuine progressive change, her leadership will be of enormous value nationwide.”

RootsAction was founded in 2011 by two longtime progressive advocates and journalists, Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen, and has grown to include an email list of more than 1 million supporters. The activist organization is dedicated to galvanizing people who are committed to economic fairness, equal rights, environmental protection -- and defunding endless wars. RootsAction mobilizes on a range of key issues no matter whether Democrats or Republicans are in power.