By Ken Paff and Martha Gruelle

Martha, Ken, Margaret, and Mike

I lost my best friend of over 50 years last Saturday evening. 

Mike was my guide and sometimes my patient critic, as he has been to so many other activists. He followed the work of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), the insurgent reform movement of Teamsters), and was always ready with generous solidarity and helpful ideas for me and other TDU leaders.

By Marilyn Langlois

“He left us at night on January 15, perhaps as the volcanic tsunami from Tonga was still moving in and out of our San Francisco Bay, just feet from his home. Mike’s influence was and is as strong as that and it is up to us to keep it moving.”

–Tarnel Abbott, RPA co-founder

Mike Parker made us all better activists. He could motivate RPA members to dig deeper and do more.  We did so gladly, knowing he respected, appreciated and listened to us. Above all, he set a good example of incisive analysis, hard work and fidelity to our collective efforts.

Whenever my caller ID announced an incoming phone call from Mike, for a split second I would hesitate to answer, thinking he was going to ask me to do something or challenge me on a political question. Yet I was always drawn to conversations with him, each time coming away the wiser for talking with him.

By Eduardo Martinez

Eduardo, Jovanka, and Mike on the Richmond Greenway for the MLK Day cleanup

A giant has fallen,
Greater than the sequoia towering above others
Roots embedded in the past
Rings encircling every year of endeavors
Reminding us that “the circle will be unbroken,”
This circle of community formed by his force
His vision, his words, his compassion.

By Jeremy Gong

East Bay Democratic Socialists of America (EBDSA) member Mike Parker passed away late on Saturday night at 81 years old after a year-long fight with cancer. He was not only a warm friend and mentor to me and so many others, but a brilliant and one-of-a-kind movement builder. An activist and socialist since the age of 19, Mike’s work spanned over 62 years of movement history. He made unique contributions to the labor movement, the fight against racism, and the fight for an egalitarian, peaceful, and ecologically sustainable world. His wisdom and endless generosity has been invaluable for us since DSA’s 2016 rebirth. Mike’s death leaves the socialist movement greatly impoverished, but his life enriched it beyond measure.

By BK Williams

Zoe, Mike, and Harley

I am now and will be forever grateful and changed because of Mike Parker. 

When I joined the RPA and met Mike, we didn’t initially connect. We sat at the same table, worked toward the same goals, but did so at a distance. When he spoke, I realized he knew a lot about many things and he constantly shared his knowledge. Later, when I agreed to co-chair the Steering Committee and took on more of the hard work of the RPA, Mike and I seemed to perpetually be in one another’s space and our friendship gradually deepened.

Audio edited by Jamin Pursell

In July 2021, Mike Parker spoke in front of a gathering of RPA organizers and members of the Bread and Roses DSA caucus. The goal was to bring the two organizations closer together, and so he could pass on his experiences as a civil rights activist and political leader.

On January 18, 2022, Councilmember Claudia Jiménez dedicated that week's City Council meeting to Mike Parker. What follows is a written transcription of her spoken tribute to him. You can watch this segment of the meeting here.

It is with great sadness that we report our dear friend and core member Mike Parker passed away this Saturday evening. 

A long-time leader of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, Mike mentored a generation of activists in the RPA and beyond. So many of us can attribute our political skills to his wisdom and guidance.

Mike's brilliance, his unrelenting dedication to our work, his high hopes for humanity—these qualities of his and so many others are irreplaceable. 

The deaths of Mike and Margaret are a profound loss that cannot be overstated. Their shared passion and sense of justice moved us all, and their absence will be deeply felt. 

We can honor their memory by keeping up the struggle for a better world. 

Mike Parker, ¡Presente!

____________________

Below is the statement put out by Mike's daughter, Johanna.

Dear friends and family,

I am very sorry to share that Mike passed away late last night.  When he chose hospice it was because he was done, and like the man of action that he always was, he didn’t linger.  His death was peaceful and quiet.  After the journey we have been on for the last year, there was nothing left for us to say to each other, except to express our love and admiration. Thank you all for the messages shared over the last few days.  They bring me great comfort and make me even prouder of him and his achievements.  I know he leaves a big hole in his community. We will share a more complete remembrance of his life’s work in the coming weeks.

Mike was exceedingly generous with his knowledge and technical abilities in so many areas – political, electrical, computers, creative handyman work, and on and on.  As his daughter, I benefited from this generosity time and time again. This included the end of his life.  Even as he got sicker and weaker he worked hard to prepare me for his absence.  That included fixing things around the house, and making sure I had all the information I needed to manage the logistics of his death.

He even started to write a goodbye letter to ease the burden of what I am writing to you today.  It was an incomplete draft, both because the end came sooner than expected, and because he found it extremely difficult to put into words how deeply he valued all of the relationships he had.  His letter started like this:

I did not know exactly what to expect, but I find my mind is deteriorating slowly but my body is going faster-- Harder to read and type, low energy. I think now is the time for me to write my goodbye. I feel fortunate that I am able to do this. Most people don’t get the opportunities that I have to prepare for death and I have actually enjoyed spending some of my time to tie-up details and leave fewer difficulties for those who follow me.

As you know I have no patience for, or use of, what we call religion.  I recognize death will be the end--period.  Yet there is still part of me that wishes it could end as something like in Le Mis where I could join Margaret and sit on a cloud and watch over the people I love.  It is impossible for me to describe how much I miss Margaret. Pictures and thoughts of her make me feel warm then sad then warm again.

[…]

I had no bucket list to get through when I learned of the cancer. My whole life I have pretty much done what I wanted to do (within the limitation of real-world conditions). I earned money with a hobby I enjoyed (electronics), and I pretty much could devote a significant part of my life to political change/social justice with a partner who shared those values and was independent enough to allow for us to have different emphasis where appropriate.

[…]

I have come to know as comrades and friends some of the smartest and most dedicated people. Some are people I have only met in the last couple of years in RPA and DSA.

I add my thanks to his for all of the kind words, visits, phone calls, advice, rides, home cooked meals and treats, dog walks, and everything else that everyone did to support us logistically and emotionally over the past year.  I am so grateful for the community my parents created that I can now be part of.

Plans to celebrate Mike’s life in California and Detroit will be made in the coming weeks.  In lieu of flowers, you are welcome to make donations in his honor.  He requested that donations be made to non-501(c)(3) organizations that he supported including:

•       Richmond Progressive Alliance and the Eduardo Martinez for Mayor of Richmond 2022 campaign. Your contribution will help Richmond activists carry on the important work that Mike dedicated much of the last 15 years of his life to doing.
  • Donate to the Richmond Progressive Alliance
  • Donate to Eduardo Martinez for Mayor of Richmond 2022

•       Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) – a grassroots movement of UAW members united in the common goal of creating a more democratic and accountable union.  Mike worked for decades in the labor movement and knew that strong unions are the key to a fair and equitable world. Donate here.

If you would prefer to make a donation to a 501(c)(3), here are links to two wonderful organizations that Mike supported:

•       Alternatives for Girls: An organization in Detroit whose mission is to help homeless and high-risk girls and young women avoid violence, teen pregnancy and exploitation, and help them to explore and access the support, resources and opportunities necessary to be safe, to grow strong and to make positive choices in their lives. Donate here.
•       SOS! Richmond: Safe Organized Spaces Richmond (SOS! Richmond) is a community organizing network of housed and unsheltered neighbors who work together to bring on personal, neighborhood and institutional changes that address the problems of homelessness. Donate here.

With love and gratitude,

Johanna

Mike speaking at the Greek Theatre, Berkeley, 1966

Mike with his daughter Johanna, 1983

Mike with his wife Margaret

The RPA Membership Committee hosted a festive gathering at The Bridge on Dec 4. Party planners included co-chairs Chris Broglio and me, Susan Hybloom, Kathleen Wimer, and Martha Gruelle.