City of New Haven Board of Alders

In Loving Memory of Art Perlo

November 2, 1947 – December 18, 2021

Art Perlo, a lifelong Communist beloved for his stalwart dedication, modesty, wit, and wisdom, passed away on December 18 after a year-long battle with bladder cancer.

He was the son of Marxist economist Victor Perlo and artist Ellen Perlo, and moved to New Haven in 1975 after living in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, to join his life partner Joelle Fishman, participating in her People Before Profits campaigns for U.S. Congress and mayor.  He served as Ward 24 Co-Chair in New Haven, Connecticut, and executive board member of the Yale Unions Retirees Association. War 24 Alder Evette Hamilton called him a “gentle giant” for his kindness, commitment, humor and broad knowledge that touched the lives of so many in the city, state, and around the country.  An IT worker at Yale’s Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry lab for 35 years, he helped organize and was a founding member of the clerical and technical workers’ union Local 34 Unite Here in 1984. Although not eligible for the union with his managerial and professional job classification, he was appreciated for honoring the strikes of Local 34 and Local 35, joining his co-workers on the picket line for respect and improved wages and benefits. He was an early proponent for restructuring Yale’s hiring practices to open job opportunities for Black and Latino New Haven residents. He helped organize many buses to marches and protests in Washington, D.C., and New York for peace, racial justice, and immigrant rights. Art was deeply respected for his willingness to take on any task, no matter how small, in the community or the union, and for his unwavering commitment to equality, peace, environmental justice, and an end to exploitation to make the world a better place. Rest In Peace Art.

This Celebratory Citation Is Presented By
The Honorable Alder Frank E. Douglass and the Honorable Alder Evette Hamilton

Given this 26th day of February 2022
At Augusta Lewis Troup School
259 Edgewood Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut

Tyisha Walker-Myers
President of the Board

Michael B. Smart
City Town Clerk