Dorothy Healey was among the most extraordinary individuals I have ever met. By the first time I sat down with her in her living room in South Central Los Angeles, as a 16 year old in 1967, she was already the most notorious Communist in Southern California. As a youngster, I heard her name taken in vain on more than one occasion by my fuming parents. But there she sat in front of me, sucking on a pipe of all things, her bluish-gray eyes alternately widening and squinting at me and I admit to being a touch spell-bound. I, at the time, was mostly an anarchist. And Dorothy and I agreed on very little -- except that we both opposed the war in Vietnam and, for contrasting reasons, concurred that Maoist China was not something to be admired. In spite of our differences, she served as inspiration not only to me, but to countless others in my 60's generation. Now one else we knew in the Old Guard of radicals other than Dororthy was as open, as understanding, as open-minded about a rising crop of New Leftists. We often failed to understand each other. But it was always understood that both sides had something valuable to offer.

 

Over the next few years our friendship continued. Dorothy, appalled by the Russian invasion of Czechoslavakia, broke with the Communists. I went off to Chile, joined the Socialists and had my own battles with the Communists. When I came back home, in 1974, I found myself sitting next to her once a week in the meetings of the fledgling New American Movement, or NAM. After a short period, I found NAM to be rather mundane and uninspiring and as it merged into the Democratic Socialists of America, I departed the organization (and never again joined a membership group). In that period, frankly, I was amazed by Dororthy's tenacity and her unbounded optimism. She was 35 years older than me, but her enthusiasm --unlike mine-- never flagged. She was convinced --absolutely convinced-- that social change was always around the corner and that she was going to do her best to make sure it happened.

 

No one was better prepared and more willing than Dorothy to spend a couple of hours in this or that "theoretical" discussion. She never raised her voice. Never confused the person with his or her politics. And she always maintained the utmost respect and courtesy for her debating opponents (mostly because she could always best them). The changes she went through in her own politics were profound and inspiring and revealed Dorothy to be a committed and compassionate humanist, a principled defender of freedom and justice.  From a loyal militant in a pro-Soviet CP she eventually became one of the most articulate critics of Stalinism and "actually existing socialism." She never flinched in justifying her past and never ceased in proposing a better future.

 

Mostly, she was a great lady. A natural wonder. I will miss her deeply.