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March 10, 2014

Jackson, Mississippi Holds Funeral for Late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba 
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Hundreds of people gathered in Jackson, Mississippi, on Saturday for the
funeral of the city's late mayor, Chokwe Lumumba. A longtime black
nationalist organizer and attorney, Lumumba died last month of heart
failure. His election less than a year ago led many to call him
"America's most revolutionary mayor." At a service that ran nearly five
hours, with a flood of speakers and musical tributes, Lumumba's children
honored their father's life.

Rukia Lumumba: "He was a man that loved deeper than we could ever
understand the meaning of love, and dedicated his life to that love."

Chokwe Antar Lumumba: "But more importantly, he taught us through his
actions. He showed you the type of leader you wanted to be. He showed
you the type of father you wanted to be. And for many of us, he showed
you true friendship."

Over the past four decades, Lumumba was deeply involved in numerous
political and legal campaigns. He helped found the National Black Human
Rights Coalition and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, which he
continued to work with after taking office in advocating participatory
democracy and the creation of new worker-run cooperatives in Jackson.
You can go to our website Democracy Now.org for our interview with
Chokwe Lumumba and our coverage of his life and legacy.

 

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