Ellen Thomas

Who is Ellen Thomas?

Ellen Thomas is an American peace activist. She first became involved with the White House Peace Vigil on April 13, 1984. The daughter of a U.S. Marine, Thomas was born in Brooklyn and grew up in California. She became opposed to nuclear weapons during her childhood. In protest at the policies of United States government, she became a tax resister by simply living below the income tax threshold.

On May 6, 1984, Ellen Benjamin married Thomas in a Quaker wedding to become Ellen Thomas. Ellen and her husband protested together for a number of years, until Thomas died in January 2009.

Ellen also heads The Proposition One Non-Radioactive Nuclear Review, a traveling multimedia troupe that educates the public on the dangers of a nuclear future. In 1993 she helped coordinate the successful Washington DC ballot initiative for Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion. Ellen formally served on the Washington Peace Center's board of directors, but has since moved to North Carolina.

The Oracles of Pennsylvania Avenue by Tim Wilkerson, a documentary commissioned by the Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, recounts the lives of William and Ellen Thomas, Concepcion Picciotto and Norman Mayer.