Mike Parker, a Life Well-Lived on the Left
Mike Parker, who died earlier this month, was far from a celebrity. But in his six decades on the Left and in labor, he was everywhere, from the Berkeley Free Speech Movement to auto factory shop floors to independent leftist electoral campaigns and the rebirth of American socialism.
Mike Parker speaking at a Labor Notes conference. (Jim West)
Mike Parker, a lifelong fighter for social justice, died at the age of eighty-one on January 15, 2022. He was not broadly known even in left circles, as he stayed out of the limelight throughout his life to instead promote others. But his contributions to a wide range of social movements, the labor movement, and socialist thinking were enormous.
Mike’s activism began in college in the antiwar movement in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and continued until his death as a member of the Steering Committee of the Richmond Progressive Alliance. Throughout his life, he was a leader of various socialist organizations. He was a rank-and-file autoworker and an early supporter of Labor Notes. Mike was committed, kind, brilliant, and generous with his time and ideas. Countless activists considered him a mentor; he was respected and loved by many. His death is an incalculable loss to the cause of winning a more just and democratic world.
A Radical’s Beginnings
Mike’s parents had been members of the Socialist Party, and growing up, he viewed himself as a socialist in the way children identify with the political party of their parents. In the antiwar movement, he came to understand that socialism required a fundamental restructuring of society. He joined the Young People’s Socialist League (YPSL) in 1959.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.