It was with shock and a heavy heart that members of the Wisconsin District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization learned of the passing of one of our longest tenured general members, Rhize Ermel, on August 28, 2024.

Rhize joined the organization after the conclusion of the March on the DNC in Milwaukee in 2020. She brought a combination of experiences, perspectives and skills to the table as an activist and comrade.

Note: For memorial service details, see end of article.

Dallas, TX – Kawana Scott Menchaca, a community organizer from Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, passed away last weekend, having been found in the early hours of Sunday, July 14ᵗʰ. She is known to be profoundly sharp, intellectually effusive, driven by a craving for justice, and undeniably brave in fighting for a more just and humane world. She leaves behind her husband, Nicolas Menchaca, her parents Antione and Trenell, her two brothers Anderson and Langston, and a constellation of friends and community members all reeling from this news.

Linda Hoover, a longtime member and former interim director of Women Against Military Madness, died on April 20, 2024. She was a longtime anti-racist, anti-war activist and a leading member of MPAC (Minnesota Peace Action Coalition) formerly the IPAC (Iraq Peace Action Coalition).

Arlington, TX – In the evening hours of Thursday, April 27, Jennifer Rose Miller unexpectedly departed this world at the age of 30. Her friends, family and comrades are devastated by the news, knowing her to be incomparably kind, loving and unwavering in her commitment both to the struggle and to little Xavier, her beaming soon-to-be-seven-year-old son who she leaves behind. The center of her life was her son, her pride and joy. She often had to arrange childcare for him to allow her to lead marches. She is also survived by her younger brother, parents and many other family members who loved her so much. Jennifer's life was cut far too short, but it was a full and a poignant one.

Chicago, IL – We dip our banners of struggle for the civil and human rights icon, Harry Belafonte, who joined the ancestors yesterday, April 25, surrounded by family and friends in his New York City home. Belafonte was born in Harlem in 1927 and died at age 96. He always acknowledged that, “most of my family in Jamaica were plantation workers,” hence Day-O, or Banana Boat Song, had the lyrical line, “Come mister tally man, tally me bananas.”

Minneapolis, MN – Polly Mann, a leading force and giant in the Twin Cities anti-war movement, died on January 12, 2023 at the age of 103 in San Francisco, California where she had lived with her daughter Connie for a little over a year.

Minneapolis, MN – There was a high tide of struggle on many fronts in 2022. With so much going on, it can be easy to forget some of the things our movements have accomplished. That makes it all the more important to look back and review the lessons from this year’s resistance so we can move forward stronger.

I want all the revolutionaries and young freedom fighters who are members of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression to join us as we dip our banners of struggle for our dear comrade, Charlene Alexander Mitchell, who was born June 8, 1930, and died on December 14.

Chicago, IL – Chicago lost a well-known fighter for immigrant rights on December 11. José Sigfredo Landaverde was a priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe Anglican Catholic Church in Little Village. Padre Landaverde was also a friend of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. He died after a long battle with illness.

Minneapolis, MN – Marie Braun, 87, a longtime activist and beloved and respected leader in the peace and justice movement in the Twin Cities, died on June 27 after a very brief illness.