Memorializing Chuck Kaufman: Virtual Guestbook / En Memoria de Chuck Kaufman: Registro Virtual de Visitantes

Guestbook entries

We lost a true hero when Chuck Kaufman passed. Mourn and organize! 

Chuck Kaufman, presente!

Paki Wieland

Chuck had been such a warm, encouraging, grounded presence in this community. I’m thankful to learn that his death appeared quick, and I can picture him at his table with coffee, after celebrating his paying off the mortgage on his place. So typical of him to turn everything into a way to build community. And this beautiful memorial certainly continued that, the grief and the inspiration to get to work! 

Deborah Mayaan

The Nicaraguan revolutionary Leonel Rugama wrote his own epitaph,

It went like this:

     Leonel Rugama

     rejoiced in the promised land

     in the hardest month of the planting

     with no choice but the struggle

     very near death

     but nowhere near

     the end.

There is no choice but the struggle; And we are nowhere near the end.

I note that even in death, Chuck was still an organizer, bringing us all together to share the love that is made in the movement.

And there is still much work to be done.

With much love, a thank you to everyone for today,

especially our dear brother who brought us together.

Tom Ricker

Looking at this photo that I took in 2011 in DC at an organizing conference for a Venezuela Solidarity Network, I am reminded that Chuck always said, “We should never do something alone that we can do in coalition.” And that was revealed in the memorial today when speaker after speaker spoke about they had worked with Chuck as part of efforts to stop war, plan solidarity actions, protest immigration policies, etc., etc. always as part of a group of many organizations coming together to make a better world. It was basically, and I’m sure will continue to be, the motto of the Alliance for Global Justice.

Katherine Hoyt

chuck will always be an example, and a lesson for all of who care about contributing to a better world, From the brief conversations I had with him working on sanctions kill, his every word helped us see the big picture goals as well as the task at hand to focus on, His humility and encouragement was such a gift that lives on and gives life to the work that he promoted and we all need to continue. chuck presente

David Paul

I respected Chuck’s activist strategies within our Tucson region. No fanfare, direct and focused on advancing better policies.  I hope to find a way to teach youth some of his  clearly well-considered collaboration politics.

Caren Zimmerman

This is a picture of Chuck in Sycamore Canyon (Santa Cruz County, AZ), 5/31/14.

Ethan Beasley

I did not know Chuck, except on Facebook, but as soon, as I learned about his work, his thoughts and comments, I knew that he was a great man, a pillar of justice! Someone who gave his whole life to the cause of a just world for everyone.  I am so thankful for his work in Latin America and for the many people that he shaped and formed and who now walk on his path.  Thanks everyone.  Forever grateful!  Evelyn 

Evelyn Gonzales

Chuck was a true Mensch. His life is a clear example of righteousness and love for Humanity.

Susan Willis

Greetings from DC, where Chuck was one of my first movement mentors about two decades ago. 

Chuck once told me that a primary task of any activist is to cultivate more activists. 

It’s heart-warming to see how many of us he has cultivated over a lifetime of service. 

Thank you, Chuck. You are indeed presente. 

Ben Beachy

Chuck, we will miss you forever!  Thanks for your many contributions!  Thank you for your kindness, sense of humor and your encouragement of me many times over the years.  🙂

Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture

With deep respect for Chuck, and all of the staff and supporters of the Alliance for Global Justice. Let’s all keep moving it forward!

Mario Galván

Nos va a hacer falta!

Maria Robinson

One of Chuck’s great characteristics was that he stayed true to principles and did not bow to pressure. When AFGJ organized a conference in October 2013, the “regime change” crowd put heavy pressure on Chuck to de-platform a nun from Syria who challenged the media stories about the conflict. Now we know that her basic account was true, but at the time there was great confusion. Chuck resisted the pressure and threats to disrupt the conference. He held true to principles then, just as he did five years later when there was confusion about Nicaragua. 

We have lost our friendly but steadfast giant of the progressive movement.  RIP comrade.  Chuck Kaufman Presente! 

Rick Sterling

I never knew Chuck, but I can’t think of a greater tribute than when someone said, “He was one of us.” I’m grateful for his legacy. Also, if people could listen to these testimonies, aversion to socialists and socialism would melt away.

Paul Flansburg

Greetings from Ramaytush Ohlone territory (aka San Francisco, California) I remember Chuck from the Tear Down the Walls conference in Tucson and at a SOA encuentro in Nogales.  He was always very grounded and present.  May the work that he did be remembered and carried on.

Linda Ray

Chuck was a wonderful, inspiring, and deeply committed leader of several delegations I was fortunate to participate. Thank you Chuck

Hermann Engelhardt

Chuck was a humble man, always in sincere solidarity with my peoples. 

RIP Chuck Kaufman. 

Victor Coronado

chuck kaufman presente

Sara Powell

Thank you so much for a beautiful memorial. Chuck would have loved it! He will be greatly missed but has left such an amazing legacy. I am so grateful for all that I learned from Chuck and all of his support when I first moved to Tucson. Chuck Kaufman, presente!

Cristen Poyntner

You will be greatly missed.  Thanks for all of your life of struggle.

Mark Burton (AFGJ Board)

Solidarity organizations across the country joined Nicaragua Network and afgj as we worked locally, nationally and internationally. I was organizer at the Denver Justice and Peace Committee, and like so many such groups, benefited greatly from uniting in such campaigns that made a difference only because we organized to act for justice TOGETHER. Chuck was “known” to so many of us long before we actually met him in person, when eventually he came to receive DJPC’s annual Global Justice & Peace Award on behalf of Nicaragua Network.

Jerry Stookey (Denver Justice and Peace Committee)

Desde el Observatorio de Derechos Humanos de los Pueblos sentimos mucho la partida física del gran compañero y hermano Chuck Kaufman.

Tu palabra y ejemplo como gran internacionalista seguirá vivo en: Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, México y todos los pueblos del mundo, donde tú legado seguirá inundándonos para continuar adelante como decías: “Siempre estar en la lucha hasta el último aliento”.

Permaneceremos en el camino que nos enseñaste con tu amor, humanidad y humildad. Tu ejemplo vivirá por siempre en nuestras luchas y corazones.

Nuestro abrazo solidario a la familia, a las compañeras, compañeros y compañeres de la Alianza por la Justicia Global.

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

09 de enero de 2022.

Daniela Gonzales (Observatorio de Derechos Humanos de los Pueblos)

I had the privilege to know Chuck, meeting him in real life for the first time at the US Social Forum in Detroit in 2010. Before that I knew him from Latin America Solidarity Conferences at Evergreen. I had just gotten back from Honduras after the coup and previously spent time in Venezuela and Ecuador. I was an enthusiastic solidarity organizer, our views of the world overlapped strongly as well as our theory of change. I came on the board of AFGJ and a year later worked for AFGJ as National Grassroots Coordinator. Everyone at AFGJ, the board, the staff, the connections were filled with amazing people. Chuck was a principled radical, I learned so much from him. Just to observe his ways of being and doing. Plus our late night discussions. I think he really bloomed in Tucson. It changed his life and to some degree extended it because of healthy lifestyle changes. I could always give Chuck a call for sage advice. Even years after leaving AFGJ I still felt a part of it. I always considered Chuck and AFGJ as center in my orientation towards activism in the US. Sometimes it has been hard in recent years for me to imagine the sort of coalitions that AFGJ often strived for. That was Chuck’s desire. That we would build broad and strong revolutionary coalitions that worked together for the common good. A hundred more Chuck’s and we might win. I would like to be more like Chuck. I will think of him often going forward.

Bruce Wilkinson

Grateful for Chuck’s work at AFGJ and their fiscal sponsorship of The Bukit Bail fund. His support provided us with the resources needed to make bail for hundreds of people in western in PA. We will continue to honor his memory through our work towards abolition. Rest in Power, Chuck!

Whitney Sigall (Bukit Bail Fund)

From Louise Richards, Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group in the United Kingdom – we worked with Chuck on some joint initiatives, although we never had the privilege of meeting him personally. We welcomed always his wise words and sound advice. We send our condolences to all at the AFGJ, to all his comrades, friends and family. We know that his work and his memory will live on and we pay tribute to the amazing contribution Chuck made to building a better world. Chuck Kaufman, presente!

Louise Richards on behalf of Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group, United Kingdom

I think some of us have taken Chuck’s work for granted. So good to hear all these beautiful tributes. This is solidarity!

Susan 

We are touched by Chuck throughout the past relatively short 6 plus years. May his legacy continue getting in “Good Trouble” (John Lewis).

Cara Bissell

With respect and solidarity,

Leni

WILPF Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance Committee

US Women and Cuba

IFCO Pastors for Peace

Leni Villagomez Reeves (WILPF Cuba and Bolivarian Alliance Committee, US Women and Cuba, IFCO Pastors for Peace)

It is really nice to hear everyone’s thoughts and stories about Chuck, a man I realize I barely scratched the surface of knowing. I thank everyone for sharing all that Chuck was and meant to them.

Pia Mogollón

It is wonderful to see so many old and new friends brought together to remember Chuck, who will be dearly missed. Love and thanks to all at AfGJ who are continuing his legacy!

Melinda St. Louise

We lost a tireless and committed fighter for justice and against capitalism. And we also lost a very decent human being. Companero Chuck Kaufman, Presente!!

Tom Hansen

Many thanks for your work in support of the Nicaraguan revolution, Chuck, it will be remembered for a very long time.

John Perry

Thank you for everything you taught us Chuck. Your legacy will continue on it the work we do in your memory.

Sebastian Rodriguez

Those who are weak don’t fight.

Those who are stronger might fight

for an hour.

Those who are stronger still might fight

for many years.

The strongest fight

their whole life.

They are the indispensable ones.

– Bertolt Brecht

Hendrik Voss

His hope rubs off onto us as so many of us have come together to honor and thank Chuck.

Betty McElhill

On behalf of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network, we join the collective mourning of a principled brother who spearheaded the infrastructure that has provided the administrative and fiscal support needed by so many social justice organizations, including our own.

Personally, I have never met with Chuck, but I recall several telephone and email interactions when AfGJ first accept our project for fiscal sponsorship in September 2011. I was always impressed by his openness and eagerness to help. The last time I recall when we actually had a telephone conversation was in 2013 where we discussed the George Zimmerman trial the murder of Trayvon Martin, and the July 8th California prisoners’ hunger strike, and how to raise the level of resistance we needed in face of these genocidal trends. I am sure Chuck was instrumental in sharing our work with so many others nationally.

Our regards to Chuck’s family and comrades,

Steve Yip on behalf of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network (New York, New York)

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network honors the life of Chuck Kaufman, a lifelong anti-imperialist activist, dedicated organizer, and co-founder of the Alliance for Global Justice. AfGJ, in addition to its own distinguished work in defense of people’s rights in the United States and internationally, is the fiscal sponsor for Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and over 150 other social justice organizations across an array of movements.

Chuck passed away on 28 December 2021 after a long life in struggle dedicated to advancing liberation movements and anti-imperialist resistance globally. Many of us have known him for decades, and a number of his organizing efforts, including the Campaign for Labor Rights, the Mobilization for Global Justice, and the Latin America Solidarity Coalition, were crucial to our early political development.

Chuck was on the front lines of Latin America solidarity for decades and a key voice in the anti-war movement in 2001, when he co-founded the ANSWER Coalition, and beyond. He consistently held a principled position on Palestine and always refused to allow Palestine to be excluded from anti-war and progressive movements, or stripped of the political nature of its struggle for freedom and reduced to a humanitarian concern.

Chuck’s advice and support have been invaluable for Samidoun and its growth, as well as our members as we participated in a range of organizations and movements over the years. His anti-imperialist principles will continue to inspire our work as we organize to free Palestinian prisoners and for the liberation of Palestine.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoners Solidarity Network

It was my great honor to have known Chuck for over 20 years. He was a tremendous force for justice and a better world, and someone who no doubt struck fear in the imperialist war machine. ¡Chuck Kaufman presente!

Dan Beeton

I was just getting to know Chuck, and yet he knew me, greeted me warmly in all situations, and I began to consider him both a comrade and a friend. His involvement in meetings always help ground the work and move it forward. His presence will be missed by not only his close friends and colleagues, but by all those who his wisdom touched even in brief moments. Chuck presente

Ellen Punyon

Chuck Kaufman: an anchor

Few people have done as much as Chuck Kaufman over so many years. He was an anchor in our movement.

In the more than 30 years that I knew Chuck, what I most valued was that he always looked for concrete ways he could help. No negativity, cynicism or backbiting. Chuck didn’t write big manifestos or give ultimatums. He helped on simple work plans. He fit very diverse, complicated people into tasks, where they would succeed.

Chuck excelled in projects that built revolutionary enthusiasm — like picking coffee, one bean at a time — hot, backbreaking, yet at the end of the day, measurable.

Working with Chuck in Washington, D.C., or when he came through New York, or at many conferences and events or visiting in Arizona, when he moved Alliance for Global Justice, and especially during these past two years in numerous zoom calls, he was a stabilizing force.

Chuck was a key part of the #SanctionsKill Campaign for the past two years; and despite traveling cross-country in his van, visiting family or in medical treatment, he was on most of the biweekly calls, even two weeks ago. Each time he took on at least one task — helping shape a webinar, publishing a report, a book — he made good suggestions on next steps.

Chuck’s early work focused on Nicaragua under full U.S. attack. But it kept expanding — to other countries targeted by U.S. imperialism; it included support for projects and participation in delegations to Cuba, Venezuela, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, then to China. At the same time, he was part of the militant border actions to defend migrants, always in solidarity with Palestine and in defense of the Black Lives Matter movement. He kept the big picture in the forefront, linking struggles, linking countries, linking people.

Chuck really went out of his way to help political activists whose projects and efforts were facing hard times. It was like throwing a lifeline.

Building solidarity doesn’t happen naturally in this viciously competitive capitalist country. It takes conscious, focused discipline and a big heart.

Chuck just kept moving things forward.

We will miss you, Chuck.

Chuck Kaufman ¡Presente!

Sara Flounders

Thank you Chuck for all your great support for the struggle in Haiti!

Chuck Kaufman Presente!

Haiti Action Committee

Pierre Labossiere on behalf of Haiti Action Committee 

Chuck and Karen almost got robbed in El Progreso, Yoro, Honduras during an AfGJ delegation. To protect all the delegation money we were carrying, Chuck pushed the guy trying to rob us while I (Karen) ran as fast as possible. Chuck followed and we got away with all the money and no major issues … other than this story.

Chuck was so supportive. He always spoke with such clarity when dealing with political discussions and strategy. He and AfGJ were so supportive and heavily involved in the struggle to free the Honduran political prisoners. We will miss him. Chuck presente! La lucha sigue sigue, HLVS xx Edwin Espinal & Karen Spring

Karen Spring & Edwin Espinal

I worked with Chuck in D.C. I learned a lot from him. He was a good man who had the courage to make the world a better place.

Sean Hannley

Dear cousins and we’ll miss Chuck so much.

Anne Weaver

Chuck, thanks for carrying the torch for the Nicaraguan people when so many of us weren’t paying enough attention. You have given us an example to follow and so many lessons. Virtual love to Chuck’s family and close friends. So sorry we lost him too soon.

Chuck Kaufman Presente! Presente! Presente!

Jill Clark-Gollub

Condolences to all relatives and friends of Chuck. In fond memory.

Andrew Waterworth

My brain kept telling me that Chuck would be on this ZOOM gathering; so obviously Chuck Presente!!!

Diana Bohn

I didn’t know Chuck as well as I would like. I house sat for him while he was on his trip. The peace that permeated Chuck’s home was palpable. The refuge Chuck offered may well have saved my life. I am forever grateful. Chuck’s memory is a blessing.

Nat Mosier

Chuck was a warm-hearted, caring person who, in the most low key, no-drama way, connected people, solved problems, and conveyed a sense that justice is possible. I met him in 2005, as World Can’t Wait became one of the first fiscal projects of the Alliance for Global Justice. We negotiated the contract on, basically, a handshake and trust. I found his word to be based solidly on his principles, and trusted him to always follow through on his promises, as he did to the end. We saw each other frequently when he lived in DC, and I missed seeing him after his move to Tucson, though I enjoyed speaking with him remotely and trading stories of growing up to be young activists in the 60’s. We need more people like Chuck in the world!

Debra Sweet (World Can’t Wait)

Great to see so many fellow friends and comrades of Chuck. La lucha sigue.

Brad Roth

I know Chuck from his great fundraising missives and commentary about Nicaragua. I was glad to meet him in DC and later in Managua 2007 encuentro de solidaridad. I was getting ready to send him my annual Christmas letter and also share an article I wrote about Venezuela. I was so shocked to learn of his death. He was a great person and will be greatly missed. Adelante. Loren of Chapel Hill NC.

Loren Hintz

Thank you so much for helping to make the Latin America Solidarity movement a 40-year Anti-War movement.

Rachel Bruhnke

Chuck, your friends in Baltimore miss you very much! We feel your presence.

Lynn Robinson

Shared a meaningful, memorable trip to Nicaragua in 2012–and presence at the Fence with SOAWatch. Chuck, Presente!

Ausra Kubilius

It is with great sadness and a crushing sense of loss that the staff of Nappy Roots Books learned of the death of our friend, mentor and fellow revolutionary activist Chuck Kaufman. Chuck’s passion for justice informed everything he did – from organizing to end unjust wars and working in solidarity with the people of the Americas to extricate themselves from control by imperialists, to supporting movements for black liberation in the United States and so much more.

As a fiscal sponsor of Nappy Roots Books, Alliance for Global Justice made it possible for our bookstore to serve the people of Oklahoma City in a myriad of ways. It was Chuck’s brilliance and dedication that made this possible. In the same way, Chuck’s vision for a better world included the creation of the Lucy Parsons Popular Human Rights School, the Nicaragua Network, and many other programs. We are grateful for the opportunity to have known and worked with him.

Che Guevara told us that “the true revolutionary is guided by strong feelings of love.” Chuck’s work and the life he lived are testimony to his great love for the people and his dedication to building a world in which all can live in just, equitable and sustainable ways. The world has lost a truly great man but the revolutionary love that was a guiding principle of his life will surely live on in the work he did and the people whose lives he touched.

We offer our most sincere condolences to all who loved him and vow to continue the work that he helped us start. May his memory light the fires of change.

In solidarity and respect,

Camille Landry
Banbose Shango
Jonathan Landry-Gaters
Nappy Roots Books
Oklahoma City, OK

Camille Landry, Banbose Shango & Jonathan Landry-Gaters on behalf of Nappy Roots Books

I first met Chuck (and Alliance for Global Justice) on a telephone conference call after the 2009 coup in Honduras. A number of organizations around the US had responded to the urgent need to ramp up solidarity with the Honduran people and movements by coordinating actions and info in support of the resistance movements, focused on targeting the US role in the coup and support for the dictatorship. Chuck was a strong voice in helping to define that focus then and later, but I think one of his biggest gifts early on was his organizing vision to create a “permanent” coalition network that could maintain solidarity work, bring folks into the work and maintain continuity —- that was 12 years ago and the Honduras Solidarity Network has continued its work. From the beginning Chuck committed his heart and mind and time and the resources of AFGJ to the work. The Honduras Solidarity Network (HSN) has been able to count on AFGJ compas during years of standing with the Honduran people against a violent, repressive, neoliberal US supported coup dictatorship, because of Chuck’s vision. In the HSN Chuck was fair-minded, actively analytical about organizing solidarity, sometimes grouchy and always funny. When I joined the AFGJ Board I saw just how deeply and creatively he was always thinking as an organizer. I could always count on him for personal support and a good conversation and I wish that I had taken even more advantage of those conversations. I am so glad that he was able to witness the electoral victory against the Honduran narco-dictatorship last November and the beginning of a different phase of struggle for the movements there. He will be deeply missed by me personally and by our solidarity movement. Chuck Kaufman !Presente, Ahora y Siempre!

Vicki Cervantes (Honduras Solidarity Network, AFGJ Board)

Chuck PRESENTE!!! The scope of all your work for peace and social justice was amazing..and generations will benefit from it. We miss your leadership already!

Anne Wright

I first met Chuck in 1996 at a Nicaragua Network national meeting and got to know him gradually, before joining the Alliance for Global Justice board in 2002. I served on the board until 2012, except for a stint on the staff, 2004-2005, as National Grass Roots Co-Coordinator. In 2018, I got involved again with the Nicaragua Network, as we have all struggled together against disinformation about the attempted coup and its aftermath.

During the entire time I’ve known Chuck, he has been committed to global peace, justice, and anti-imperialism. During tough times, he kept going, often only through sheer grit; and he made excellent use of his sharp political skills to think of new tactics and strategies. Sometimes he and I butted heads, but he never held a grudge, and he was always ready to work with anyone on the issues he cared about. Over the years, I saw him grow in his support of the environment, especially after he moved to the Arizona desert which made him so happy. Chuck Kaufman, presente!

Barbara Larcom

Though I only knew him for a few years, and only through virtual correspondence, Chuck had an outsized impact on my political development in that time. My ongoing history dissertation research on the US-Latin America Solidarity Movement of the 1960s-1980s had brought Chuck to my attention, by way of his involvement in the Nicaragua Network in the 1980s and after. This research painted a picture in my mind of a heroic revolutionary anti-imperialist, someone larger than life. But when I reached out to him on social media in 2018 to ask if I could speak to him about his experience in the solidarity movement, he was tremendously humble, kind, generous, and to my pleasant surprise, interested in what I had to say. Subsequently, I learned about the critical work that Chuck was doing at the Alliance for Global Justice, and I knew I wanted to lend my support to that work however I could.

I watched and learned as Chuck showed principled commitments to anti-imperialist analysis and solidarity when the US began its concerted destabilization program against Nicaragua in 2018 and after, and I saw the bravery and clarity it required for Chuck and his comrades to hold that political line when so many former solidarity activists adopted the perspective of the US State Department and its anti-Sandinista “color revolutionaries.” Having seen that principled anti-imperialist politics in action in the present, and having researched its application in the past, I set out to offer my own comparative analysis and call to action in defense of Nicaragua and Venezuela in 2019. Chuck read my write-up, and offered to publish it in NicaNotes on the AFGJ website. Titled “Learning the Lessons of Empire and Solidarity: No Contras in Venezuela!”, it became my first op-ed on current affairs, and my first publication of any kind that incorporated my dissertation research. The lessons I spoke of in that piece, I learned from Chuck.

But more than providing an example to learn from, Chuck did what so many academics have never done for me during my time in graduate school–he treated me as if I had something worthwhile to say. On social media throughout 2019 and to the end of 2021, Chuck expressed his interest in my thoughts, provided his perspective and feedback, and validated my analysis in a way that made me feel seen. When he disagreed, it was constructive and helpful, rather than mean-spirited or condescending. When he agreed, he frequently “re-posted” my analysis of current events or history, using his platform to put me in touch with an ever broader community of social justice activists. Even in the context of this social media relationship, Chuck felt like a mentor and a friend. In 2021 when I faced unemployment within academia, I reached out to Chuck to ask for leads on job opportunities at principled organizations like the AFGJ. He lamented that fiscal limitations at the organization meant there was no room for more paid staff at that time, and I would have completely understood if that was the full extent of his response. But Chuck was too generous for that. He instead offered to help put me in contact with other social justice institutes, like CEPR and IPS, to see if they had any staff opportunities available. In the end I was able to secure a job in my academic department, but I was deeply touched that Chuck would offer to go out of his way to help me, when we had never met in person and had only corresponded for a couple of years.

I was so happy to see Chuck hit the road in his RV in 2021, because I knew what joy he found in the natural vistas of the countryside. Though I was deeply saddened to hear of his mother’s passing, I was glad that Chuck was taking the opportunity to visit his family. I did not know at the time how much I would regret being out of state when Chuck passed through the Great Lakes area, preventing our one opportunity to meet in person. But it gives me peace of mind to know that he was able to take to the road, embrace the beauty of nature, connect with friends old and new, and visit family and loved ones one last time before he transitioned to the other side.

Given the virtual nature and limited duration of our correspondence, an objective person would say Chuck and I hardly knew each other. I certainly did not know him nearly as well as those hundreds of wonderful people who joined in the virtual memorial for Chuck on January 9. I got to see firsthand at that event just how deeply Chuck touched entire communities and generations of social justice activists. It was a beautiful sight. His memory lives on in the love and struggle of thousands of people. I can’t compare my correspondence with Chuck to those deep relationships, nurtured over years and decades of struggle, loss, and victory. And yet Chuck had a profound impact on me in a very short time, and whether he knew it or not, he was a mentor and a friend of great meaning to me. His principled commitment to anti-imperialism, solidarity, organizing for victory, and building coalitions with other struggles are an example to all of us who wish to fight for the future of humanity. Of all the lessons I learned from Chuck, the most salient one is this: I want to be like Chuck.

Chuck Kaufman, presente!

Josh Bergeron

The day before Chuck passed, he called and asked me to bring him some milk and fixings for banana pudding, which I did. When I got there, he was in his chair and there was a wheelchair in front of him. While I put the groceries away, explained how it had been at the Global Justice Center for awhile and that he was going to use it to go to the dentist in Mexico. Then, he asked if I could visit for a bit, and our last conversation is a repeat of one we had been having in various iterations over the past couple months. We talked about where we’d come from in the movement, how things were changing and how it was as it should be. We talked about how young people, BIOPOC, people of color were taking our places, which was what (at least in part) we’d spent most of our lives fighting for. We talked about how, even though it sometime hurt and was hard, it was time to step back and let these young people do it their way. How we didn’t have to understand, nor ever agree with it all, but that we needed to let go, and just be present. “We did our job,” Chuck repeated several times. Indeed, Chuck Kaufman, you did your job and left a legacy far larger than a life. I miss you and am proud to have been your friend.

Crystal Zevon

Dear AFGJ,  I have been on the board of the Task Force on the Americas now for many years and I have been TFA treasurer for many of those years.  I have met Chuck over the years in many places: Washington DC, Chicago, Tucson, Honduras, Cuba… possibly others, and I have always felt that he was our pillar, our solid strength, that he had to be there, that we needed that he always be there…. that he would always be there. I couldn’t believe that he was gone! Chuck, we have to be extra strong and organized now in your place. I hope we can do it!  Love, Carol of TFA

Carol Moeller Costa (Task Force on the Americas)

Chuck we will miss you. I do remember when you were leading NICANET with Kathy Hoyt and you introduced me to the volunteer work in DC in 2003. It was a great winter working there and organizing the mail with you. You were such a great boss.

Magda Lanuza

We at the Alliance of Families for Justice celebrate the life and dedication of our friend, Chuck Kaufman! Chuck’s commitment to building a better world stands as a model for all of us in the struggle for social justice. Rest in Power!

Soffiyah Elijah

I remember Chuck from our time in Cuba to observe the Colombian Peace Accords dialogue, where he was our fearless leader. He always seemed fearless and calm in the face of power struggles and oppression. His steadfastness and ability to center humane responses was the best of the left. He will be missed.

Natasha Bannan

Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice in Canada sends our deepest condolences to the family, all co-fighters, & loved ones of Chuck Kaufman. It was an honour to work alongside him building Venezuela solidarity & other important causes for social justice & self-determination of oppressed nations. His leadership & dedication to the struggle for a better & just world will be deeply missed. ¡Chuck Kaufman Presente!

Alison Bodine (Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice)

(In absentia) TY for serving for so many years as a dependable funding umbrella for Change Links and other activist groups. You were always there if I had questions.

Uncle Don B Fireland Fanning

I never met Mr. Kaufman in person but did exchange emails with him on occasion.

I found him to be always available and ready to assist and guide.

I admired the body of his work and the impact that the Alliance for Global Justice has had, and will continue to have for many decades, at many critical moments. And on many sister justice organisations.

Muchisimas gracias, Chuck.

Pierre LeBlanc
Ottawa, Canada

Pierre LeBlanc

I will be forever grateful for the support Chuck gave to people in the theater community when we staged rehearsals for Borderlands Theater, for providing a space for us to perform on occasion and for acting as a fiscal agent on several theater projects I was involved with.

I will remember the National convening he led here, maybe about 9 or 10 years ago and most of all, the  numerous occasions we had together to upon community work he was doing and what I was doing, whether through Borderlands or Labyrinth Theater Project

Barclay Gokdsmith

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