[Marxism] Obituary of Muhammad Speaks Int'l Correspondent Joe Walker

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

(I subscribe to a fascinating service called The Blacklist 
from which this remarkable account came to me not long ago.)
==========================================================================
https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/theblacklist/2007-09/msg00064.html

From: John Woodford <johnwood@xxxxxxxxx> 
To: theblacklist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Subject: Obituary of Muhammad Speaks Int'l Correspondent Joe Walker 
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 14:21:59 -0400 
Dear Sir,

I am submitting the following information for an Obiturary for Joseph
Walker,
my brother.  He was a longtime resident of Harlem, an award wining
journalist,
civil rights advocate, and labor advocate.  Please consider writting an obit
on
Joe.   I am available to provide any other information needed.  Thank you
Emmett L. Walker
 
 

Contact:   
LTC (ret) Emmett L. Walker, Brother
7731 Loudon Drive, Fort Washington MD, 20744
Telephone: (301) 248 8240. Cell: (240) 353-557
Email:  allhigh7@xxxxxxxxxxx

Summary of facts for Obituary of Joseph Walker  
(Journalist, Civil Rights Advocate, Labor Advocate) 


Joseph Walker (73) , an award wining journalist and labor advocate,
died August 14 in New York City after a short illness. A longtime
resident of Harlem for over 40 years, Mr. Walker covered the African
American people's struggle and other progressive struggles around the
world whether those other movements were nationalist, socialist,
communist, anti-imperialist, or organized labor. In 1976 he received
the Julius Fucik Honorary Medal from the International Organization
of Journalists. The Medal was in recognition of his outstanding
achievement in journalism in the fight against colonialism, racism
and fascism, and for world peace and understanding.

Born in Buffalo New York on March 11, 1934 to the late Luther and
Emma Walker, he graduated from Buffalo's East High School and then
attended Champlain College in Plattsburgh NY (1952-1953) and Adelphi
University in Garden City NY (1953-1955). In 1955 Walker joined the
US Army and served honorably in Germany. In 1957 he returned to
Buffalo and began his journalistic career, first as a reporter and
then as the editor of the Buffalo "Empire Star", a weekly black owned
newspaper.

Using his pen to expose segregation and bias in Buffalo, he wrote
many courageous and honest articles that brought him to the attention
of Malcolm X and many supporters of civil rights. When financial
difficulties forced the closure of the "Empire Star", Walker accepted
a job in New York City as a reporter and correspondent for "Muhammad
Speaks", the newspaper of the Nation of Islam and, at that time, the
largest Black Newspaper in the nation.

Initially Joe covered domestic events, such as the police assault on
the Muslim mosque in Harlem, the Attica Prison assaults and the
Angela Davis trial. Walker and his photographer, Joe Crawford,
conducted the interviews and shot the photos that helped launched the
international movement to defend Ms Davis. During these years, Joe
Walker and Joe Crawford also assembled and produced three anthologies
of work of outstanding African-American photographers - The Black
Photographers Annuals - which have become an outstanding record of
the Black experience. Forewords and introductions to these annuals
were written without pay by Gordon Parks, James Baldwin, Toni
Morrison, and Clayton Riley.

Eventually Walker became the New York City Bureau Chief of "Muhammad
Speaks" and it's successor, "Bilalian News".    He also became the
United Nations Bureau Chief for "Muhammad Speaks" and covered events
around the world. He traveled to over sixty countries and attended
many conferences and other international gatherings. From his travels
he wrote a series of featured articles on the Middle East, North
Korea, Cuba, the Vietnamese War, the Islamic areas of the Soviet
Union and other critical hot spots of the 1960s and '70s.

John Woodford, the former editor-in-chief of "Muhammad Speaks", said.
"Joe was a journalistic super-star of the progressive world. He
covered events worldwide and was revered by freedom fighters, such as
Nguyen Thi Madame Binh, a Vietnamese delegate to the Paris Peace
Talks; Dolores Huerta of the United Farm Workers Union; the
Afro-Russian journalists Slava Tynes and Lily Golden; the Cuban
Diplomat Ricardo Alarcon; and leading figures in many of the
anti-imperialist African liberation movements, such as the ANC
(African National Congress), FRELIMO (Front For The Liberation Of
Mozambique), MPLA (Movement For The Popular Liberation Of Angola),
ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People's Union), and SWAPO (Southwest African
People's Organization)."

>From his father, who was the president of the Buffalo branch of the
Dining Car Employees Union, Joe Walker grasped an early understanding
of the trade union struggle and extended his work to include trade
unionism. In 1963 he began work in New York City for Local 1199, the
Drug and Hospital Employees Union, AFL-CIO, where he was the Editor
of Union Publications. Later he worked at Local 144, the Hotel,
Hospital, Nursing Home and Allied Health Services Union, where he was
Editor of publications and director of public relations; and in
Albany at the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) where
he was a public relations specialist and editor of publications.

In 1996 Joe Walker also became a college instructor, teaching popular
courses on the history of the Black Press at the City College of New
York's Center For Worker Education. He also maintained his hand in
journalism by writting articles for serveral black newspapers. His
last job, from which he retired, was as an Account Developer for the
Worker Opportunities Re-Employment Center (WORC).

During his life, Joe Walker enjoyed professional and personal
relationships with a number of dignitaries, civil rights activists,
and freedom fighters to include Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad
Ali, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., James Baldwin,
Hulan Jack, and David Dinkins, the former Mayor of NYC.

Survivors include his wife Isabel Castro Walker of Manhattan but is
now in the Bronx Nursing Home; his step-son Joseph Cole of the Bronx;
three grandchildren: Joseph Cole Jr. and Faith Cole of Queens and
Tiana Cole of Florida; his brother Emmett Walker of Fort Washington
MD; a niece, Lisa Walker of Columbia MD, a nephew, Emmett Walker Jr
of Atlanta; and a host of loving colleagues and friends.

Other Information: Joe Walker was a long time resident at 334 East
108th Street, New York , NY.    At his death he was a resident of the
Bronx Center For Rehabilitation and Health Care (Nursing Home), at
1010 Underhill Ave, Bronx NY 10472.     Joe developed an infection which
did not respond to treatment. Ackerman's Funeral Chapel, 725 Gunn
Hill Road, Bronx, NY 10467 arranged his cremation. Certificate of
death was issued by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on
Aug 17th - certificate No. 156-07-033475.

Pictures. Pictures of Joe Walker can be forwarded to include: Joe
Walker single picture; Joe Walker interviewing Martin Luther King,
Jr.; Joe Walker interviewing Adam Clayton Powell Jr.; Joe Walker and
Muhammad Ali; Joe Walker and James Baldwin; Joe Walker and Angela
Davis, Joe Walker and former NY city major David Dinkins and many
others.

End


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