------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the March 13, 2003 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
DON SMITH, PRESENTE! By Bill Massey Chicago Comrade Don Smith died in his sleep of a heart attack on Feb. 25. He was 71 years old. Don had spent more than 44 years in the progressive movement, and 28 of those years as a member of the Chicago branch of Workers World Party. As a young man, Smith had visited the Soviet Union and learned that the things he had been taught about it in the United States were untrue. A university student at the time, he was concerned about nuclear war. He asked a bus driver in Moscow why the Soviet Union was producing nuclear weapons. The bus driver stopped the bus and proceeded to explain that the United States had surrounded his country with ballistic missiles and that the Soviet Union was forced to defend itself. This, and other things he observed, made Smith curious for more information about the Soviet Union and socialism. During the "Cuban Missile Crisis," Smith and 13 other students at Indiana University in Bloomington organized a demonstration to call for an end to the U.S. blockade. At that time Indiana was just emerging from the McCarthy period; over 4,000 raving, right-wing students attacked the demonstration. That was one of the first political protests Smith participated in. His last demonstration, 10 days before his death, was on Feb.15, when he was one of millions worldwide demanding "No U.S. war on Iraq." Smith taught for more than 23 years in the Chicago Public School system. But he was not only a teacher--he was a student all of his life. He had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. His curiosity led him on a lifelong journey to find truth. Smith was no mere collector of data; he had a very definite purpose in mind. Smith had answered the question "Which side are you on?" by rejecting the side of the rich and powerful. It was not simply that they were rich and powerful but that they became so at the expense of the overwhelming mass of humanity. Smith put all of his vast knowledge to use in the struggles of the workers and oppressed of the world, absolutely convinced that they could run it much better than the capitalist class. Most of all Smith was an activist--from his school days right up to the day of his death. During the Vietnam War, he played a leading role in the Chicago anti-war movement and the Veterans for Peace. Most recently Smith was very active in the Colombia Solidarity Committee. He was extremely helpful in building the mobilizations to take people from Chicago to Washington, D.C., in April and October of last year to stop the war on Iraq and support the struggles of the people of Palestine. Don Smith had a wide range of friends in Chicago's progressive milieu. He was a source of knowledge and he had clear, cogent and firm positions reflecting the positions of Workers World Party and revolutionary Marxism. In addition, Smith was a very sweet person who could patiently explain in a friendly manner that allowed even those who disagreed to come back to discuss the questions again and again. He will be missed, but his memory will inspire us to continue the struggle in which he spent his life. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe wwnews- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
