Not all the good die young. Some are tough old birds, speaking out and singing loudly all the way to the end. Peace and justice advocate Marv Davidov was one of the good ones. He died on January 14, 80 years old.
I remember Marv saying, at a protest a decade or so ago, that he could go any time now. Gesturing to the crowd gathered in front of the Minneapolis federal building, he told me, “Look at the age of this crowd. The young ones have it now!”
Marv’s activism has a long history, from being one of the original Freedom Riders in 1961 to founding the Honeywell Project in opposition to the Vietnam War and on through the wars and injustices since then. He never gave up and he never stopped. (For more about Marv, see Marv Davidov: Still an activist after all these years and Lifelong activist Marv Davidov proud that Alliant and Honeywell protests fought nation’s ‘war machine.’)
Just about everybody in peace and justice circles in the Twin Cities has Marv Davidov stories and memories. Steve Clemens already has posted his memories on his blog, which he graciously shares with us. Steve observed:
He was a thorn in the side (or, more accurately, a pain in the ass) to those in authority who wished to protect a status quo which trampled the rights of the poor or marginalized or used military force against others.
While Marv may be resting in peace, I’m sure he’d be the first to tell you and me that there’s much to be done and no time to rest. So I invite you to take a look at the weekend’s Martin Luther King Day activities, and choose your own way to remember Marv in service, in action, or in protest.
[Photo from video “Marv: Life as an Activist, Part 1″]
Mary Turck
News Day 