Category Archives: RIP

Mike Kelley, LGBT Activist and Historian, Programmer, Quilter, beloved brother, son and friend, died peacefully Friday morning, January 20th, at Odyssey Hospice in The Heights.  Mike was born October 11, 1951 in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  He studied theatre at Emerson College (Class of 1975) and studied dancing throughout his adolescence.  After college,  Mike worked in theatre, directing and acting in many plays.

After moving to Houston, Mike worked with the Main Street Theatre, directing children’s plays, then worked as a Programmer until he retired.  He embraced his retirement, using his time and talent to the benefit of the Harris County Democratic Party, Pride Houston, the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston (QGGH), the Houston Area Rainbow Collective History (ARCH), and The Botts Collection of LGBT History.  Many ill and terminally ill children and their parents found comfort in quilts created by Mike for the Guild’s charity quilt program, Comforters.  His quilts were also auctioned as fundraisers for Ovarian and Breast Cancer research.  Mike’s commemorative T-shirt quilts were displayed annually at the Pride Festival and World AIDS Day Houston. Mike also enjoyed many showings of his work at the GLBT Community Center.  Mike logged over 3000 volunteer hours at The Botts Collection, identifying, collecting, organizing, recording, and preserving materials that are of historical value to the LGBT community.  His contributions to the community are too many to list.

Mike was preceded in death by his husband, Bill Brunson.  Left to mourn his passing and celebrate his life are his many friends, coworkers from his varied volunteer endeavors, the members of The Cotton Pickin’ Bee and QGGH, and his adopted family.

A memorial service is planned for Saturday, February 11th from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the GLBT Cultural Center, 401 Branard St., Room 106, Houston, TX.  The Memorial will begin promptly at 4 p.m. with a reception following from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions in Mike’s honor may be sent to:

Reposted from AbolitionistMovement.org. DosCentavos.net sends sincere condolences to Tim’s family.

Timothy O’Brien, a father, husband, son, brother, and comrade / friend of  so many died at home Tuesday morning with his family present.  Tim was an activist, scholar, and fighter for all workers and oppressed.  As much as he loved his family and friends, he hated war, racism, exploitation and executions.

Tim had cancer, the same thing that killed his father exactly two years ago, in April of 2009.  It had spread–to his brain and more–and he lost this battle.

Tim realized that the end was nearing when doctors said there was no more treatments for him.  But he lived life to the fullest each and every day he had left, finishing his manuscript for a book on Lightning Hopkins, spending special time with Yuna and Kyong Mi, attending one last conference on sweatshops, going to Austin to hear some good music only a few weeks before his confinement to bed, and having friends over for a last visit.

The Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement is forever indebted to Tim for so much energy, for setting up this web page, and for energizing our movement.  Tim attended a demonstration for Todd Willingham last winter before the Court of Inquiry that Judge Charlie Baird held that proved Todd was an innocent man executed by Gov. Rick Perry.

He attended the January hearing that Judge Kevin Fine held where attorneys presented compelling evidence that the use of the death penalty in Texas is unconstitutional.

Tim organized a protest of former Harris County D.A. Carol Vance at a book reading–which caused Murder by the Book and Vance to cancel, rather than face the truth.  Then when Vance appeared at a book festival in the Heights, he was confronted!

Tim was a man with a PhD like no other!  He was at home in academia and as well as in Freedman’s Town.  He could carry on with professors as well as with poor people with no initials behind their names, like his mentor Lenwood Johnson, who, like Tim, was educated AND a friend to the oppressed.  Tim’s PhD in African American History was put to good use for the community, despite the efforts of those in the ivory towers at UH to stop Tim.

Tim won many battles, inspired many young activists, and left a legacy for us all:  Dare to struggle, Dare to Win!

Members of  the Free Radicals will welcome those attending Tim’s funeral with New Orleans jazz funeral music.  The funeral will be Friday morning, April 29, at 11 AM at St. James Methodist Church in Freedman’s Town, 1217 Wilson St., 77019.

Update:  In memory of Tim’s passing, Houston Indymedia will replay interviews that they did with Tim over the last 2-3 years. This special feature will  air Friday, April 29 at 7:30pm, 90.1, KPFT (link to online radio).

The Day I Finally Met Carlos...

Most of my memories of Carlos Guerra come from reading articles he had written as a freelancer for various publications. One read and I was hooked. When I finally got to SWT, I found out he was writing for the SA Light (and later, the Express-News) and I enjoyed learning from this guy–not just the latest political chisme and news, but how to present myself in my political writings–I figured that’s what I’d end up doing anyway.  It’s easy to say that his style, his wit, and his well-thought-out political leanings influenced me greatly.

After exchanging e-mails with him during my college days regarding various columns (he answered every one of ‘em!), it wasn’t until 2003 when my friend and colleague in the cause Lorenzo Cano from the UH Center for Mexican American Studies gave me an opportunity to speak to some of his program students during a field trip to San Antonio, with Carlos serving as the main attraction. Let me tell you, it was a shock to find out at the hotel that I would be speaking AFTER Carlos. So, after the introductions and his usual funny jokes, I felt comfortable enough to tell him that he was going to be one hell of an act to follow. And he was, but I think through some osmosis of sorts I was able to use some of his wit in my presentation. It was THAT contagious.

We kept in touch by e-mail mostly after that, then came his retirement from the SA E-N which turned into phone calls about plans for the future. I was a constant link to his weekly columns from DC and he noticed and always thanked me (unlike some of those other mainstream hacks). So, it didn’t take long for him to become a fan of this “new media” stuff. We talked about how he wanted to start a blog, perhaps we could work together on some campaigns, work on some post-Census stuff, and then in the last year as the 2010 campaigns began to hop-up it was about how a couple of generations of Chicanos from South Texas could smack some sense into the Democratic Party. He could talk for what seemed like hours, and the ganas to impress him with my own wit and sarcasm made the calls longer as he listened to every word I said.  Let me tell you, those were fun phone calls.

It was this past summer when we saw each other last–at the Texas Democratic Convention. It was my first convention in which I opted to stay out of the “convention process” and instead do some live-blogging and actually serve as one of two in his entourage as he held court in the main auditorium and we passed out those “Do I Look Illegal?” buttons that made the TDP leadership and at least one statewide candidate cringe. And then there was that awesome feeling when the press corps turned from scowling at this blogger to actually talking to me after I walked Carlos into the press room. Of course, some of my colleagues in the Texas Progressive Alliance will not forget how he joined us for dinner the afternoon of the Blogger Caucus, and later, the Blogger Caucus itself.

After his retirement from the SA E-N, he told me he had begun several different projects, including a couple of books. Most important to him was his legacy, and not just as a writer, but, generally, as a success story that could play a part in the success of future journalist, especially Latino journalists. And the Carlos Guerra Scholarship at Texas A&M Kingsville will provide exactly that–opportunities for South Texas kids to enter the next generation of journalism. I will definitely be a part of that effort because it is so important for the future of this state.

As my colleague in the cause, NewsTaco’s Sara Ines, tells us in her memories of Carlos, he was indeed a dreamer, never satisfied with just one level of accomplishment, especially for young people. That’s why he had recently made the DREAM Act his cause celebre because it was just too important to let thousands of kids who have only known the U.S. as home, and who we have invested in heavily through public education, fall by the wayside.

Let me tell you, it has been an honor and privilege to have experienced Carlos Guerra. That’s right, one had to experience Carlos Guerra. And then one would end up just wanting more.

When someone moves on to the next life, those left behind are often left in “shoulda-woulda” mode. In this case, I can honestly say that every opportunity I had to speak to him, I’d tell him he was my hero. Of course, in Carlos’ own way, he’d say, “No, you’re MY hero, carnalito.”

And then we’d laugh, and tell each other our “see ya laters.”

Pos, ay nos vemos, C.

(To Alexa, Carlos’ family, friends and colleagues:  The thoughts of the Medellin Family are with you. May the memories, the stories he told us, and his dreams which we shall now turn to action sustain us.)

Sara Ines, Stace, and Carlos at TDP '10

Solo los recuerdos quedan, as they say.

I’ll talk about that in a later post. For now, it’s about letting this sink in.

I will provide some comic relief from his retirement/farewell article in the San Antonio Express-News.

And I have relished retelling tales about people like “Chano,” who booked two wedding receptions at the same time in the hall he managed — each “a gift” to the two sets of unsuspecting newlyweds — and then collected a fat fee from a gubernatorial candidate for the rally with the “guaranteed crowd” he’d promised.

So many stories.

From MALDEF:

LOS ANGELES, CA – Civil rights pioneer and MALDEF Co-Founder Mario G. Obledo passed away in Sacramento on Wednesday August 18, 2010 at the age of 78.  Obledo was Co-Founder of MALDEF, “the law firm of the Latino community.”

A long-time leader in fighting for Latino empowerment, furthering humanitarian efforts and protecting civil rights, Obledo was currently serving as the President of the National Coalition of Hispanic Organizations, and previously served as former California Governor Jerry Brown’s Secretary of Health and Welfare from 1975 to 1982.  As Secretary, Obledo is credited with opening access for positions of government service to countless Latinos and other minorities.  In addition to being a Co-Founder of MALDEF, the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization, Obledo also co-founded the Hispanic National Bar Association and served as National President of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).  For Obledo’s efforts and accomplishments in law, advocacy and civil rights, in 1998 President Clinton awarded Obledo the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, the nation’s highest civilian award.

Mario G. Obledo is survived by his wife Keda Alcala-Obledo.

From the NYT Article:

During the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown, he became the first Hispanic chief of a California state agency: health and welfare, the largest in both budget and workers. In 1982, he was the first Hispanic citizen to mount a serious run for governor of California.

When President Bill Clinton presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998, the citation said Mr. Obledo had “created a powerful chorus for justice and equality.” He was called the “Godfather of the Latino Movement” in the United States.

His approach was as unsubtle as it was impassioned. He created a national commotion in the 1990s by protesting the stereotypical Mexican accent of the Chihuahua in Taco Bell commercials. When someone put up a sign at the California border saying, “Illegal Immigration State,” he threatened to burn it down personally.