Steve Conliff facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steve Conliff
Steve Conliff at the Ohio Statehouse during his campaign for Governor of Ohio, 1978
Born	Steven Edwin Conliff (1949-11-24)November 24, 1949 Milwaukee, WI
Died	June 1, 2006(2006-06-01) (aged 56) Columbus, OH
Pen name	Leon Yipsky, Zorba the Freak
Occupation	writer, publisher, political organizer, social satirist
Language	English
Nationality	Native American (Mohican)
Citizenship	American
Education	Miami University, Ohio State University
Period	60s and 70s
Subject	Yippies, politics, American Left, mass movements, Native American history
Notable works	Blacklisted News: Secret Histories from Chicago, '68, to 1984
Spouse	Suzan Bird Conliff
Children	3

Steven Conliff (November 24, 1949 – June 1, 2006) was a Native American writer and activist. He lived in the Midwest United States. Steve was known for his work as a historian, a funny writer, and a publisher of alternative news. He was also a political organizer in the 1960s and 1970s.

Many people remember Conliff for a funny protest he did in 1977. He threw a banana cream pie at James A. Rhodes, who was the governor of Ohio at the time. This happened at the opening of the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, Ohio.

Steve Conliff's Early Life and Activism

Steve Conliff went to Miami University in Ohio. There, he worked with a group called the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. This group was often called "the mobe." Working with them made him think about how politics usually worked.

Around the same time, he met members of the Youth International Party, also known as the Yippies. The Yippies were a group that used humor and protests to make political points. Steve became a Yippie and moved to Columbus in 1970. He briefly attended Ohio State University. Most of his time was spent on political activities and organizing. He was very good at bringing people together for a cause.

One of his first experiences was handing out anti-war flyers. He was arrested for breaking a law about being homeless. Steve immediately argued that these laws were unfair to young people and those without much money.

Steve Conliff's Publications and Writings

In the summer of 1970, Steve Conliff started his first Yippie newspaper, Purple Berries. This paper later changed its name to Sour Grapes. Steve also helped start the Columbus Free Press, where he wrote articles for many years. He also created Subversive Scholastic (1978–84), which was critical of public education.

He wrote regularly for several other publications. These included YIPster Times, HVPTA / Bite Magazine, and Overthrow. His work also appeared in many other underground newspapers and magazines. He often wrote under the pen name "Leon Yipsky."

Steve helped launch many other publications. He also published a local magazine called Columbus Entertainment from 1986 to 1988. This magazine focused on different cultures before it was common to do so.

Steve Conliff's Native American Heritage

Steve Conliff was a descendant of the Mohican Indian tribe. He gave presentations about Mohican history. He spoke at the Stockbridge–Munsee Community Reservation in 2001. He also spoke at the New York State Museum in Albany in 2004.

He also contributed information about American Indian cultures to important books. These included Notable Native Americans (1995) and Volume 1 of the Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes (1998).

A Leader in the Yippie Movement

Steve Conliff was an important leader in the second wave of the Yippies. He worked with other well-known activists like Tom Forcade and Dana Beal. He was also in charge of the Rock Against Racism USA campaign in 1979. He helped organize concerts in cities like Columbus, Dayton, Madison, Detroit, Chicago, and New York City.

Steve Conliff had a big impact on the activists around him. He was known for his storytelling and for keeping history alive. His greatest talents were inspiring, encouraging, and involving others in important causes.

The Pie Protest and Running for Governor

Poster advertising a Yippie-sponsored event at Ohio State University in 1978. This event was also a rally for Conliff's campaign for governor.

Steve Conliff decided to throw a pie at Governor Rhodes for a specific reason. He believed Rhodes played a direct role in the Kent State shootings. In 1970, National Guard troops were sent to the Kent State University campus. The governor also gave an angry speech the day before the shootings. Many felt this speech made an already tense situation even worse.

In 1977, the Kent State University Administration decided to build a gym. This gym was planned for the exact spot where the shootings happened. There was already a small memorial there for the four students who died. This plan caused many protests. People held demonstrations and even set up a "Tent City" on the site. The tent city was eventually removed, and its inhabitants were arrested. It was during this time of protest that Steve Conliff threw the pie at Governor Rhodes.

After the pie incident, many people reacted positively. Conliff then decided to run for governor against Rhodes. He ran as a Republican. The media in Ohio did not take his campaign very seriously. However, it gave Conliff a chance to speak to different groups. He gave anti-war and anti-capitalist speeches to audiences who often disagreed with him. He seemed to enjoy these challenges.

He once said, "Yippie Conliff says he's too young to serve as governor even if elected, but sees no problem with the state not having a governor." When his running mate, Leatrice Urbanowicz, was removed from the ballot, it also created more Yippie excitement.

Zorba the Freak: Steve Conliff's Alter Ego

One of Steve Conliff's ongoing characters was his alter ego, "the Leader of the Street People," named Zorba the Freak. Zorba would often tell stories about other Yippies. These Yippies often recognized themselves in his funny tales. Zorba became well-known locally and was an inside joke among the Yippies.

According to Steve Abbott, a poet and activist from Columbus: "Conliff had someone called Zorba the Freak—incredibly funny, incredibly well-written pieces that combine satire and commentary."

Steve Conliff gives an interview to a reporter during his campaign for governor in 1978.

Blacklisted News: A Yippie History

With Dana Beal and the New Yippie Book Collective, Steve Conliff published a large book. It was 733 pages long and called Blacklisted News: Secret Histories from Chicago 1968 to 1984. The famous lawyer William Kunstler wrote the introduction.

Steve Conliff wrote more than half of this book. It was a detailed record of Yippie actions around the world. It also included a colorful collection of underground posters, essays, news clippings, comics, photos, and other counter-culture history.

Steve Conliff's Family Life

Conliff met artist Suzan Bird in 1970. She was working in a hippie area near the Ohio State University campus. She said, "He was selling Purple Berries, and he would come by E.G. Leather on Pearl Alley trying to get ads. It was one of the old hippie shops. I worked there at the time, so I would sit on the porch and talk to him, and we got to know each other fairly well just sitting and chatting."

Steve and Suzan married in 1973. They had three sons together. Suzan's artwork often went along with Steve's written pieces. This was especially true in Purple Berries and Sour Grapes.

Steve Conliff passed away from lung cancer on June 1, 2006.