When you read Andrew’s story detailing how he became passionate about influencing policy, you realize there are two sides of the story. One that ended on September 10, 2001, and one that began the day after when two planes struck the World Trade Center towers in New York City. His brother, David, was an innocent victim in those attacks. Since that day, Andrew has worked to educate people about the difference between fundamentalism and spirituality. Andrew’s race for state senate in Oklahoma is a tribute to his undying passion for public service with fair solutions.

What makes Andrew an extraordinary, visionary leader?

Andrew is a Twenty-First Century Democrat if there ever was one. His vision for the future of Oklahoma is simple and bold. He sees Oklahoma as a hidden bastion of progressive thinking and action in the Midwest. He has worked hard through the Red River Democracy Project and the Progressive Alliance Foundation to give an outlet for this progressive thinking.

Andrew also is a theological scholar which makes him uniquely qualified to run strong with spiritual progressives and religious moderates alike. He has been a leader in the fight against fundamentalism as a way to approach problems in our society. According to Andrew, it has been this radical thought that drove our enemies to do what they did on September 11th, 2001 and we need to learn from those mistakes.

Background

Rice graduated in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and a minor in African American studies. He was one of 12 “Senior Scholars” to complete an undergraduate dissertation in a specialized area. Andrew’s was about the relationship between American Jews and African Americans during the civil rights movement.

Rice was accepted to Harvard University Divinity School and deferred his admission for one year to work and travel in Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. In Sri Lanka he worked with the largest Buddhist grassroots NGO in Asia, helping with rural development in village life and in the conflict zone. In Thailand, Rice worked for the country’s largest private AIDS hospice. In India, Rice studied local addiction problems and treatment.

In 1997, Rice enrolled in Harvard University Divinity School and pursued a masters in theological studies. His area of focus was the role of religion in social justice movements, and the origination of anti-Semitism in the early Christian church. He graduated from Harvard in 1999.

While in graduate school Rice returned to India with his sister Amy to shoot a documentary about the AIDS pandemic there. In 1999 he completed the film From Ashes which centered around an ex-convict who runs a hospice for rejected HIV+ people near Bangalore, India. From Ashes screened at film festivals in the United States, Canada, and India.

In 1999 Rice moved to New York City to work as a freelance documentary producer and editor. He worked on programs for the BBC and PBS, including segments for The Newshour with Jim Lehrer. On September 11th, Andrew’s older brother David was killed in the World Trade Center, where he worked for the investment firm Sandler O’Neill. David was a graduate of Bishop McGuiness high school and former Fullbright Scholar in South Africa. He was 31-years-old when he was killed.

Due to this tragedy, Andrew decided to re-dedicate his career to social justice. He moved to Austin, Texas in February 2002 to work for the Texas Freedom Network, an advocacy organization that counters the influence of religious extremism in politics. It was formed in 1995 by Ann Richards’ daughter Cecile after her mother was defeated by George W. Bush and his religious extremist base. In Austin, Rice launched a statewide public education initiative called the Fundamentalism Education Project which organized progressive Texas religious leaders to openly challenge the myth that fundamentalism represents the essential values of our faith traditions.

In 2003 Andrew returned to Oklahoma City, where he founded the Progressive Alliance Foundation, of which he is the executive director. The Progressive Alliance Foundation works throughout Oklahoma advancing progressive, fair-minded, and constitutional solutions to our public policy problems. Andrew also launched the RED RIVER DEMOCRACY PROJECT in 2003, which used Chautauqua style community festivals to inform Oklahomans about the failures of our political system to live up to our nation’s democratic ideals. The RRDP is now a 527 political organization.

Andrew is member of the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows steering committee, and has worked tirelessly over the past three years as a proponent for a legal, humane, and rational response to attacks of September 11th, 2001. Peaceful Tomorrows was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 and 2004. Andrew has spoken in 15 states and in South Africa, and has been interviewed by the BBC, CBC, MSNBC, Fox News, and has written op-ed columns for the Oklahoma Gazette. Andrew was awarded the 2004 Angie Debo Civil Libertarian of the Year Award from the ALCU of Oklahoma. Andrew also serves on the board of The People’s Opinion Project.

Race Facts

Race Type: Open Seat
Primary Opponent: Drew Dugan and Rhonda Rudd
Primary Date: July 25, 2006
Primary Election Results: Won Primary
General Opponent: Joshua Jantz
General Election Date: November 7, 2006
General Election Results: Won, 70 – 30 percent