Yesterday, we lost a powerhouse thinker and organizer, a comrade, a mentor, and an inspiration to so many on the left, the co-chair of our campaign committee, Bruce Dixon.

Bruce was one of my favorite people on the planet. We worked together a few years ago to put together a presentation on the need for the Green Party to become a mass party of dues-paying members if it is going to become a serious force in American politics. We received an overwhelmingly positive reaction to it and we were going to present it again this year. He would want me to go ahead with these presentations, but they won’t be nearly as good without him.

Bruce has a long history of political activism for Black liberation and the poor. In the ’60s Bruce was a student activist and rank-and-file member of the Black Panther Party in Chicago. In the ’70s and ’80s, he was a community organizer in some of the poorest neighborhoods in urban America, working on issues of housing and poverty. In the ’80s and ’90s, he was a volunteer, staffer, and consultant to dozens of community groups and political campaigns and local government in Chicago. (You can read more about his history as an activist here.)

At the end of 2000, Bruce moved to Marietta, Georgia, where he worked for several years as an IT professional. In 2002 he began writing for Black Commentator and in 2006 co-founded Black Agenda Report with Glen Ford and Margaret Kimberley. Bruce’s political analysis based on his experience as an activist and from his work on political campaigns brought tremendous insight to people trying to understand what was really happening in US politics. Bruce had a biting wit, a razor-sharp sense of humor, and a strong passion for challenging all of our notions. He offered fearless critiques on a wide range of left issues that few are bold enough to make, and he always did so with a no-nonsense, plain-spoken bravado that resonated with a wide audience.

Bruce was the co-chair of the Georgia Green Party, a member of the Ballot Access and National Committee of the Green Party of the United States, and a coordinator for the 2016 Stein/Baraka presidential campaign.

The entire Hawkins campaign team is saddened by the passing of this revolutionary figure. He was a true comrade and a dear friend. We offer our sympathy to his wife, Carole; brother, Bud; daughter, Anna; son, Nate; and the rest of his family and loved ones.

Solidarity, Bruce. We love you. Power to the people!

Howie Hawkins

Andrea Mérida Cuéllar

Brendan Phillips

Chris Blankenhorn

David Petrovich

Gini Lester

Kevin Zeese

Lea Pierce

Michael Trudeau

Rose Roby

Tommie James

Tony Ndege

Travis Christal