[Freethe SF8] Wayne C. Thompson - Our Newest Ancestor

[SF-8 case]

 From Ron Daniels:

Brothers and Sisters -- Comrades All:

I write with a very heavy heart to inform you that Wayne C. Thompson, 
my dear friend, comrade, partner and one of the most selfless, 
committed, indefatigable and effective freedom fighters I have ever 
known, is our newest Ancestor, having transitioned this afternoon, 
reportedly from a massive heart attack.

For months Wayne had quietly been struggling with a series of 
ailments, the source of which the doctors were unable to determine. 
Wayne chose to battle these maladies privately with only a small 
circle of confidants knowing the severity of his illness. This is the 
way he wanted it -- no pity, no complaints, no regrets, just a 
solitary and introspective struggle to understand the meaning of his 
affliction and a determination to achieve a quality of life worth living.

I am in such pain as I pen these words because he meant so much me 
and all of us. He absolutely became my closest 
partner/comrade/brother and friend in the struggle --  Oh how I/we 
missed his passion, energy and selfless service at the recent State 
of the Black World Conference -- showing up with the "troops" to make 
certain that everything was in order.

When he was at his energetic best, we would talk at least once a day. 
But in recent weeks, as he grappled with his illness, I tried to give 
him space to breath and recover. I also encouraged him to open up to 
share with his extended circle of loving friends as a part of the 
healing process. But this was not his nature. Essentially he sought 
not to burden others and to carry the load on his own terms.

And what a load he had carried. Wayne was the rock for so many in his 
life -- In the past few years he witnessed the loss of two of his 
closest partners, John Bowman and Opio Toure. And he worked 
tirelessly on the case of the San Francisco 8 -- his comrades in 
struggle with the Black Panther Party from back in the day. Oklahoma 
Health Care Project, All of Us or None, Cherokee Freedmen, Institute 
of the Black World 21st Century, Haiti Support Project, business 
pursuits that span the globe. People marvel at my work ethic but it 
pales in comparison to Wayne, who I affectionately dubbed Energizer 
#1, readily acknowledging my status as # 2. But perhaps the grief and 
burden became too much for his mind and body to bear.

Having not spoken to him in a while, and missing him so much, I 
decided last week that I would just fly out to Oklahoma City to 
embrace and touch voices with my beloved brother. We had a wonderful 
time together. He really didn't look sick and I told him so. He gave 
me a bear hug of a warm embrace. It felt so good! But he was clearly 
struggling with diminished stamina and frustration over the lack of 
knowledge about the mysterious disease that was attacking his body. A 
myriad of tests had revealed little, and as much as anything, not 
knowing the nature of villain that was violating his being was 
intensely frustrating. Not knowing was agonizing.

We went out a broke some bread together. It was his call. I was 
perfectly content to just sit and chat about whatever he wanted to 
discuss -- No business, no movement, just brothers chatting man to 
man. But he wanted to go out to eat, so we did. Just climbing a few 
steps, he said,  was a chore. But we enjoyed the meal and the 
fellowship. Then it was back to his apartment where he seemed 
determined to discuss a range of issues that mattered to him 
including our work in Haiti, how to create an economic base for IBW, 
the Cherokee Freedmen case, San Francisco 8, freeing political 
prisoners, passing the torch to young people including Sandino and 
his circle of comrades.

He struggled to get the words out but was determined to update/brief 
me on the things that made life meaningful and worthwhile. There was 
a certain vitality in his voice and spirit even as he struggled to 
speak. Making a difference mattered. It was what he lived for -- and 
being able to contribute in a meaningful way is what made life worth living.

Perhaps we could have gone on into the night but I wanted my brother 
to rest, to breath his oxygen and get a good night's rest for a 
change [he had not been sleeping well]. So we embraced -- another 
strong and warm embrace and he walked me to the door. As we pulled 
out of the garage, he lingered in the doorway, his silhouette 
standing out against the darkness -- He waved goodbye as we pulled 
off and I waved back and gave him a thumbs up. That was my final and 
lasting image of Wayne, standing in that doorway bidding me adieu.

The next morning, Sunday morning, as I was about to board my plane to 
Dallas en route back to New York, my cell phone vibrated and the 
number was his -- I was so happy. He said, that he just called to say 
how much my visit meant to him and promised to be less reclusive in 
the days ahead. Indeed, we had planned to get together in Boston on 
his next visit to his preferred cardiologist -- which was to be a 
matter of days.

This morning I prayed so hard that God and the Ancestors would keep 
Wayne with us -- I prayed so hard. Tonight just shortly after 
completing and interview on the Bev Smith Show -- I received the word 
that our valiant African warrior had joined the Ancestors. I have 
been in tears all evening, straining to compose myself in the face of 
this unbelievable loss.

But compose ourselves we must. For Wayne would not have us grieve so 
much. At one point in our conversation, he looked me straight in the 
eye and said, "I'm not afraid of this." He was prepared to face death 
satisfied that he had lived a life that mattered. I shall never 
forget those words, the warm embrace and that image of him in the 
doorway as he bid me farewell.

In the next Libation we our duty bound to shout out the name of Wayne 
C. Thompson, along with Damu Smith, John Bowman and Opio Toure -- but 
more than just uttering ashe, it is our duty, our sacred 
responsibility to live lives that matter as we continue to struggle 
for the liberation of African people and oppressed humanity. This is 
how we will preserve the memory of Wayne C. Thompson and give flesh 
to the vision and spirit of this remarkable human being!

A luta continua

Ron Daniels
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