Devoted to a liberated world

ON JULY 2, our companion, sister and ally, Tanyetta "Tan" Williams, passed away suddenly.

Not enough can be said about her devotion to justice and her fervent desire to see a liberated world. When remembering my friend, I recall a beautiful human being who genuinely loved life. No one was spared from laughter when engaging with Tan. She connected with every individual in a unique way and made no one feel like an outsider.

Tan became an activist this past January. While watching news of the bombardment of the Palestinian people, she became so upset that she went to her first demonstration. At the national antiwar demonstration on March 21, she marched proudly through the streets of D.C. with a homemade sign that read simply, "This War Is a Hot Ass Mess."

Tan not only lived to enjoy each and every moment, but she focused on the future--fighting for human rights and equality. Although Tan didn't join the International Socialist Organization, she had a lasting, incomparable impact on our collective efforts. Just a few weeks ago, Tan traveled to Socialism 2009 in Chicago with a large caravan from the Southeast.

Over the past few months, she became a vital part of Atlanta's activist community. She not only chaired an open forum on the public transit system, but she was treasurer of the Progressive Student Alliance, and initiator of important political debates.

Tan never accepted any fact or theory at face value. Through self-education and first-hand experience, she developed her own set of beliefs and ideals that she could struggle for.

Look to the South, towards the city of Atlanta, and you will see a desolate hole, this wound in our souls, where Tan's life once was. We are now putting back together, piece by piece, the realities of this unforgettable revolutionary.

A Revolutionary in work for the greater good of the people.

I am the people, rushing through time with no stop a head and no halt at any intersection that pleads with me to slow down.

I have drunken the wine of bitter herbs and disliked its taste, but willingly accepted its cause for healing.

That is when I woke up from the dream that I was engaged in; the dream of love so pure for thoughts of change

that I forgot that my dream was just a dream. Realities are the only way to focus my hope in which this social change

can surely happen by the wink of my good eye. I begged to push realities into a more staged presence for the world to see.

The inequalities that damp many that are poor, many that are untouched by hope. Liberation is the key!

The key that will hopefully open up doors to mend those who are hurt the most.

Tan Williams, presente!