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I
had a certain commentary in mind for this week but when
I received an email informing me that Dr. Ronald Walters,
BlackCommentator.com editorial board member, and retired
professor from the University of Maryland-College Park, had passed away, I knew that I would have to put
that other topic on the back burner.
Several
days ago I heard that Ron - as I knew him - had become ill.
I was given no details but had no sense that it was life
threatening. Life is strange that way. You sometimes think
that you have all the time in the world to catch up with
someone; to check in on them; to see them at the next social
gathering; and then they are taken away from us, suddenly
and with no apology or explanation.
Dr.
Ronald Walters was a consummate political scientist. He
was a regular commentator in both the progressive and mainstream
print and electronic media. A very progressive analyst,
I thought of him as a �race man,� a term from a different
era for a Black person who was focused on the condition
of Black people. His concern about Black people was not
limited to African Americans, but was truly Pan African
in its extent.
When
asked about Ron Walters, I would think of three descriptions,
all of which coexisted: brilliant; down to earth; and very
cool. When I first met him, back in the 1980s, at the home
of Dr. James Jennings (presently at Tufts
University in Massachusetts) I was in awe. I had been invited to a meeting by Dr.
Jennings that included Ron Walters and former Berkeley Mayor
Gus Newport. The discussion focused on Black politics in
the immediate aftermath of the 1988 Jesse Jackson Presidential
campaign. I was struck by the breadth of Ron Walters� knowledge,
but I was equally struck by how approachable he was. I did
not feel that I was sitting at the feet of a demigod, but
rather interacting with someone with an incredibly sharp
mind, who was quite prepared to listen to my own views even
though I did not hold a candle in comparison with him.
Ron
Walters was quite cool, and I mean that in the best sense
of the word, as it was experienced in the 1950s and early
1960s. He was very humorous and did not act the role of
an �old man.� He seemed to be energized by younger activists
and scholars, as a matter of fact.
When
BlackCommentator.com was in the process of creating its
editorial board, Ron Walters was one of the first people
whose participation I thought to request. I had the honor of asking him. His response was so
striking that I think that I will never forget it. He was
both surprised and honored to be asked to join and had no
reservations regarding coming on board. I had not expected
him to sign on so quickly! I was delighted. He subsequently
contributed regularly to our on-line magazine, helping to
make it a reliable source of substantive analysis.
One
is always saddened by the passing of a friend, an inspiration,
a great thinker. In the case of Ron Walters - who served
as all three for me - I am especially saddened that I did
not have a chance to say good-bye. I wanted to have that
one last chance to thank him for his contributions to progressive
causes, to the struggle for Black Freedom, and for being
a mentor to people like me who benefitted from his wisdom,
warmth and commitment to the struggle.
We�ll
see you on the other side, Ron.
Click
here to send a condolence
message to the family of Ron Walters.
BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member, Bill Fletcher, Jr., is a Senior Scholar with
the Institute for
Policy Studies, the immediate past president of TransAfrica
Forum and co-author of, Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path
toward Social Justice ��(University of California Press), which
examines the crisis of organized labor in the USA. Click here
to contact Mr. Fletcher.
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Sep 16, 2010 - Issue 393
is
published every Thursday
