It is with great respect and admiration that we write this letter of condolence to the family, friends, and comrades of Mr. Chokwe Lumumba. As a multi-racial movement building organization that centers the lives and leadership of black and brown lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Southerners at the heart of its work, it is without question that the work of Chokwe Lumumba and the New African Independence Movement is essential to our collective liberation.
If we could do at least half of the great work that Chokwe Lumumba has done over the span of his lifetime to help folks realize the power we have together in order to take back that which has been stolen from us, we too could leave this earth with a cloud of witnesses celebrating our lives. Lumumba chose to live a life for a purpose greater than himself, and we thank him for his rigor, discipline, and model.
For those of us, that have yet to reach the other side of glory, we must honor the work and sacrifice of Chokwe Lumumba and those movement elders and ancestors that have come before us. We do this by continuing to engage in protracted struggle so that our work can continue to move onward and upward.