Memorial honors Jackie Kiernan
By Brenda Sandburg
San Francisco
Workers World Party's San Francisco branch
held a memorial Jan. 31 for comrade Jackie Kiernan, who died on
Dec. 23 at age 86. The celebration brought together 100 people
from the many phases of Jackie's life.
Jackie led a life full of revolutionary spirit spanning nine
decades. Her son Mike McNeil said his mother was always
fearless, speaking her mind and standing up against injustice
all her life. Her grandson Brian said she was not a typical
grandmother who baked cookies, but set an extraordinary example
and was an inspiration in his life. Other family members,
including Jackie's granddaughter Kris, traveled across the
country to attend.
A longtime friend from New York City sent a message
recalling Jackie's youth in San Francisco. "We did have one,"
she wrote ruefully. She recalled how she, Jackie and a few
other young women set out on their own and that Jackie's
apartment, bustling with people, had a view of Coit Tower and
an upright piano in the kitchen.
Jackie's WWP comrades, the U.S./Cuba Friendship ment Caravan
and Elders for Survival paid tribute to her. The Rev. Lucius
Walker of IFCO/Pastors for Peace sent a message praising
Jackie's participation in early caravans challenging the U.S.
government's blockade of Cuba. "She was a great example of
courage and commitment for us all," Walker wrote. Cuban singer
German Donatien sang in her honor.
Deirdre Griswold, editor of Workers World newspaper and a
member of the party's secretariat, also sent a message
recognizing Jackie's contribution and the importance of winning
someone with her history to the party. "While we always look to
winning the young, for they are the engine of struggle for the
future, we can be proud to have won someone like Jackie, whose
experiences after a lifetime in the movement led her to seek
out Workers World Party as a conscious choice," Griswold
wrote.
Jackie was a socialist her entire adult life. She joined
Workers World Party in 1992. A member of another political
tendency also spoke at the memorial, saying she admired Jackie
and had tried to recruit her before she joined WWP.
Keith Pavlik spoke about Jackie's dedication to distributing
Workers World newspapers to newsstands in the Bay area, a task
she carried out until a few weeks before her death. Gloria La
Riva said Jackie's vibrancy showed that revolutionary militancy
has no age boundaries. And Tahnee Stair, a 28-year-old member
of Workers World, recalled one of her first conversations with
Jackie. The audience laughed as Stair related that she and
Jackie had gone to the same high school in Sacramento and that
Jackie remembered the words to the school fight song.
"Jackie's life was an example for all the young women in our
office," Stair said. "She took care of her health and said the
struggle kept her healthy."
Tom Edminster of Elders for Survival recalled Jackie's trip
to Nicaragua in the 1980s on a solidarity coffee-picking
brigade. He said that thinking of Jackie he could hear the
International. In her honor, everyone stood to salute her at
the end of the memorial with the song of revolution.
"She said she wouldn't die until the revolution happens,"
said Alicia Jrapko, a member of the Cuba Caravan and WWP. "She
did die and now the best way to honor her is to keep up the
struggle until we see the revolution."
Reprinted from the Feb. 12, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page