Beloved U.S. activist Kevin Zeese was celebrated in a virtual tribute on Saturday, in which participants heard stories and praise on Kevin’s work from journalist Chris Hedges, former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, Venezuelan Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Ron, international human rights activist Ajamu Baraka and many others.
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Kevin Zeese, a father, public interest attorney, organizer and activist for 40 years who worked on a broad range of issues, passed away suddenly on September 6, 2020.
Due to the pandemic, the family opted to organize the online tribute to him, to bring together Kevin’s friends, family and mentors.
Hundreds of participants joined the live event, while others tuned into the event’s stream.
Writer and journalist Chris Hedges reflected on Kevin, “He was one of those, not just moral but intellectual foundations for me, and has been for over a decade (..) Kevin was one of those very rare figures who understood power, who understood how it worked, he was never fooled by it.”
Ralph Nader made an appeal to keep Kevin's work alive: “We’re gonna miss you Kevin in more ways than one and we hope that all of us will get together for a living legacy that will reflect your sense of multiplying advocacy and connecting advocacy and furthering in a way that persists and maintains itself throughout the years and throughout the future.”
Kevin’s family has launched the ‘Kevin Zeese Emerging Activist Fund’ in his honor, to be coordinated by family members.
“The Kevin Zeese Emerging Activists Fund will provide a small grant to one or more activists or a small grassroots organization each year that is in line with the life work and philosophy of Kevin Zeese. The emphasis for grantees will be on people or frontline grassroots organizations working for economic, racial or environmental justice or peace.”
Partner to Kevin and Co-director Popular Resistance, Margaret Flowers, spoke about the idea behind the fund on Facebook:
“Kevin Zeese mentored and touched the lives of countless numbers of people. He often recognized the importance of issues before others did. He believed strongly that a movement leader had a responsibility to support the development of the next generation of leaders.”
Other participants and speakers of the online event included Medea Benjamin of CodePink, Brian Becker of ANSWER Coalition and featured a performance of the song “Gracias a la Vida.”