Shining a Light on Whistleblowing

The first consumer's guide for whistleblowers, The Whistleblower's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing What's Right and Protecting Yourself, was launched on March 1, 2011 at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. The Handbook was written by Stephen Kohn, Executive Director of the National Whistleblowers Center. The event was sponsored by Busboys and Poets, Teaching for Change, the National Whistleblower Center and the Zinn Education Project.

The standing room only audience included noted whistleblowers, attorneys, community activists, educators, NWC staff, and the author’s 85-year-old mother. National Whistleblowers Center President Michael D. Kohn welcomed the audience and introduced whistleblower Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo. She spoke of the importance of the National Whistleblower Center in her own case as an EPA employee and introduced the author. Stephen Kohn spoke about the history of whistleblowing in the United States, starting with a 1777 case involving sailors on the Warren. The conclusion of The Whistleblower's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing What's Right and Protecting Yourself describes how the Warren sailor whistleblowers received support and protection from the newly formed U.S. government. He went on to describe contemporary cases and legislation, leaving lots of time for the many questions from the audience about the rights of volunteers for protection, the False Claims Act, Bradley Manning, the Massey mines, and more.

Teaching for Change was proud to help host this event. We will continue to promote the book at our bookstore at Busboys and Poets and on our Indiebound webstore.