Workers, comrades pay tribute to JOHN BLACK

A large meeting hall full of John Black’s co-workers, family, comrades and friends paid tribute to this many-sided revolutionary on May Day in State College, Pa. While still a teenager, Black was in the anti-fascist resistance in Germany. He was a member of Workers World Party from its founding in 1959 until his death this March 7. And this self-described “trouble-maker” organized many health-care workers into the health and hospital workers’ union, becoming president of its Penn sylvania division, 1199P.

John Black, seated in center, with healthcare workers.

All these aspects of his life were celebrated. A delegation from 1199P that included its entire executive board helped with food, displays and the program. They announced the dedication of a “John Black Memorial” conference room in the union’s headquarters.

Andy McInerney and Jeff Martin, former students at Penn State, told how Black inspired them to form Students and Youth Against Racism. McInerney is now editor of Socialism and Liberation magazine.

Deirdre Griswold, editor of Workers World newspaper, described how Black joined the group of Marxist revolutionaries who later founded Workers World Party and how their leadership of many great union struggles in New York City and Buffalo in the 1940s fit his concept of turning theory into practice.

His spouse, Bernice Black, had chosen May Day for the memorial because of John’s intense interest in the international struggle of the workers and oppressed, which blossomed this year in the United States in the form of the immigrant rights struggle.

A high point of the tribute was the playing of a tape from death row Black journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal. An obituary on John Black’s life appeared in the March 30, 2006, issue of WW.