Revolutionary activist and scholar Joel Olson passed away on March 29, 2012. He was 45 years old. His passing came as a shock to friends and comrades and as word spread there was an outpouring of grief and memories on facebook. A fund was quickly set up to support his wife and three children. Memorials are planned for his home of Flagstaff, Arizona, as well as New York and other cities where he had close friends and comrades.

Joel was a revolutionary anarchist who dedicated his life to the fight against white supremacy in the U.S. Joel pushed people to understand the central role of white supremacy in this country as a key link holding together the systems of oppression historically and today, and to apply that insight to our organizing.

Joel had dynamic organizing skills, playing a key role in many important organizations and campaigns in Arizona, in Minnesota where he lived during the 1990s and nationally. Some of the many organizations and projects that Joel helped shape include the Repeal Coalition, Copwatch, Bring the Ruckus, the Love & Rage Revolutionary Anarchist Federation, the Race Traitor journal, the Agitator Index collective and The Blast! newspaper, the Anti-Fascist Defense Committee, and others.

Olson was also a professor at Northern Arizona University. His academic work mirrored his activist commitment to fighting white supremacy. In 2004 he published the book The Abolition of White Democracy and before he passed away he was working on a book about political extremism. He often invoked the example of the positive extremism (boldness, militancy, unwillingness to compromise) of the abolitionist movement that succeeded in going from a small, marginal movement to accomplishing its goal of abolishing slavery in the U.S.

Joel’s dedication to the uncompromising confrontation with white supremacist institutions; his dedication to studying and teaching about the revolutionary movements in our country’s history to learn from them about how to organize today; and his dedication to building mass movements and revolutionary organization make Joel someone whose contributions should be learned from and whose legacy should be honored. He will be sorely missed by family, friends, comrades, students and many others who worked with him or were inspired by him over the years.

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Remembering Joel Olson facebook page: www.facebook.com/RememberingJoelOlson

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