Jump to content

Candy Lightner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Drydic guy (talk | contribs) at 06:43, 5 June 2011 (changed Lesbian > Lebanese, sources gone, phrase 'half Lesbian' makes no sense. Given the association with an Arab-American group (& pictures obtained elsewhere), change to Lebanese makes sense.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Candace Lynne "Candy" Lightner (born May 30, 1946) is the organizer and founding president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). On May 3, 1980, Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter, Cari Lightner, was killed by a hit-and-run driver as she walked down a suburban street in Fair Oaks, California. "I promised myself on the day of Cari’s death that I would fight to make this needless homicide count for something positive in the years ahead", Candy Lightner later wrote.[citation needed]

The leniency of the sentence given to the repeat offender of driving while intoxicated (DWI) outraged Lightner who then organized Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.[1] The name was later changed to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The object of her organization was to raise public awareness of the serious nature of drunk driving and to promote tough legislation against the crime.

Lightner appeared on major television shows as well as several adult films, spoke before the US Congress, addressed professional and business groups, and worked tirelessly for years to change public attitudes, modify judicial behavior, and promote tough new legislation.[2] She left MADD in 1985.[3] She has since stated that MADD "has become far more neo-prohibitionist than I had ever wanted or envisioned … I didn’t start MADD to deal with alcohol. I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving".[4]

Candy Lightner is a recipient of the President's Volunteer Action Award, an honorary doctorate in humanities and public service, and was the subject of a made-for-television movie, "Mothers Against Drunk Drivers: the Candy Lightner story."[5] She is the co-author (with Nancy Hathaway) of Giving Sorrow Words. For her work, Lightner was commended by President Ronald Reagan in helping to spread awareness of the dangers of drunk driving.

Lightner, who is half Lebanese, also served as president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee from October 1994 to March 1995.[6][7] Currently Candace is a real estate agent in Alexandria, Virginia.[8]

Quotes

If you want to drink, that's your business. But as soon as you drink and get behind the wheel of a car, it becomes my business.

You don't need to be an expert on your subject matter, but you do need to be honest. I was not an expert on drunk driving in the beginning, but I was certainly knowledgeable about being a victim of drunk driving.

It [the brain of 18-year-olds] isn’t developed, and that’s exactly why the draft age is 18, because these kids are malleable. They will follow the leader, they don’t think for themselves and they are the last ones I want to say ‘here’s a gun, and here’s a beer.’ They are not adults; that’s why they’re in the military. They are not adults.

References

  1. ^ Cari Lightner. Retrieved on May 1, 2007
  2. ^ Laurie Davies, 25 years of saving lives, Driven, Fall 2005. Retrieved on May 1, 2007
  3. ^ Legacy of leadership, Driven, Fall 2005. Retrieved on May 1, 2007
  4. ^ Bresnahan, S. (2002). "MADD struggles to remain relevant." Washington Times, August 6.
  5. ^ Candy Lightner: Her mission saved the world. Retrieved on May 1, 2007
  6. ^ Siblani, M. Kay (1994). Candace Lightner new president of ADC, replaces Mokhiber Arab American News, 14 October 1994
  7. ^ Hanania, Ray (1995). Lightner's departure from ADC: A death knell? Arab American News, 31 March 1995
  8. ^ Coldwell Banker bio http://www.cbmove.com/candace.lightner

Further reading

  • "Candy Lightner: A grieving mother helped America get MADD." People Weekly, 1999 (March 15), 110
  • Frantzich, S. E. Citizen Democracy: Political Activists in a Cynical Age. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 1999
  • Friedrich, O. "Candy Lightner." Time, 1985, 125, 41
  • "One woman can make a difference: Candy Lightner and Mothers Against Drunk Driving or MADD." Vogue, 1986, 176, 170
  • "Original thinkers: These five helped reshape the way we see our world --and live and work in it." Life, 1989, 12(12), 167-171
  • Sellinger, M. "Already the conscience of a nation, Candy Lightner prods Congress into action against drunk drivers.” People Weekly, 1984, 22, 102+

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Candy_Lightner&oldid=432638618"