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Obituary of Joe Walker
Muhammad
Speaks International Correspondent
Joseph Walker
(1934-2007; 73), an award wining journalist and labor
advocate, died August 14 in New York City after a short
illness. A longtime resident of Harlem for over 40
years, Mr. Walker covered the African American people’s
struggle and other progressive struggles around the
world whether those other movements were nationalist,
socialist, communist, anti-imperialist, or organized
labor. In 1976 he received the Julius Fucik Honorary
Medal from the International Organization of
Journalists. The Medal was in recognition of his
outstanding achievement in journalism in the fight
against colonialism, racism and fascism, and for world
peace and understanding.
Born in Buffalo,
New York on March 11, 1934 to the late Luther and Emma
Walker, he graduated from Buffalo's East High School and
then attended Champlain College in Plattsburgh, NY
(1952-1953) and Adelphi University in Garden City, NY
(1953-1955). In 1955 Walker joined the US Army and
served honorably in Germany. In 1957 he returned to
Buffalo and began his journalistic career, first as a
reporter and then as the editor of the Buffalo Empire
Star, a weekly black owned newspaper.
Using his pen to
expose segregation and bias in Buffalo, he wrote many
courageous and honest articles that brought him to the
attention of Malcolm X and many supporters of civil
rights. When financial difficulties forced the closure
of the Empire Star, Walker accepted a job in New
York City as a reporter and correspondent for
Muhammad Speaks, the newspaper of the Nation of
Islam and, at that time, the largest Black Newspaper in
the nation.
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Initially Joe covered
domestic events, such as the police assault
on the Muslim mosque in Harlem, the Attica
Prison assaults and the Angela Davis trial.
Walker and his photographer, Joe Crawford,
conducted the interviews and shot the photos
that helped launched the international
movement to defend Ms Davis.
During these years, Joe
Walker and Joe Crawford also assembled and
produced three anthologies of work of
outstanding African-American
photographers—The Black Photographers
Annuals, which have become an outstanding
record of the Black experience. Forewords
and Introductions to these annuals were
written without pay by Gordon Parks, James
Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and Clayton Riley. |
Eventually Walker
became the New York City Bureau Chief of Muhammad
Speaks and its successor, Bilalian News. He
also became the United Nations Bureau Chief for
Muhammad Speaks and covered events around the
world. He traveled to over sixty countries and attended
many conferences and other international gatherings.
From his travels he wrote a series of featured articles
on the Middle East, North Korea, Cuba, the Vietnamese
War, the Islamic areas of the Soviet Union and other
critical hot spots of the 1960s and ‘70s.
John Woodford, the
former editor-in-chief of Muhammad Speaks, said,
"Joe was a journalistic super-star of the progressive
world. He covered events worldwide and was revered by
freedom fighters, such as Nguyen Thi Madame Binh, a
Vietnamese delegate to the Paris Peace Talks; Dolores
Huerta of the United Farm Workers Union; the
Afro-Russian journalists Slava Tynes and Lily Golden;
the Cuban Diplomat Ricardo Alarcon; and leading figures
in many of the anti-imperialist African liberation
movements, such as the ANC (African National Congress),
FRELIMO (Front for the Liberation of Mozambique), MPLA
(Movement For The Popular Liberation Of Angola), ZAPU
(Zimbabwe African People's Union), and SWAPO (Southwest
African People's Organization)."
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From his father, who was
the president of the Buffalo branch of the
Dining Car Employees Union, Joe Walker
grasped an early understanding of the trade
union struggle and extended his work to
include trade unionism. In 1963 he began
work in New York City for Local 1199, the
Drug and Hospital Employees Union, AFL-CIO,
where he was the Editor of Union
Publications.
Later he worked at Local
144, the Hotel, Hospital, Nursing Home and
Allied Health Services Union, where he was
Editor of publications and director of
public relations; and in Albany at the New
York State Public Employees Federation (PEF)
where he was a public relations specialist
and editor of publications. |
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In 1996 Joe Walker
also became a college instructor, teaching popular
courses on the history of the Black Press at the City
College of New York's Center for Worker Education. He
also maintained his hand in journalism by writing
articles for several black newspapers. His last job,
from which he retired, was as an Account Developer for
the Worker Opportunities Re-Employment Center (WORC).
During his life,
Joe Walker enjoyed professional and personal
relationships with a number of dignitaries, civil rights
activists, and freedom fighters to include Martin Luther
King, Jr., Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Adam
Clayton Powell Jr., James Baldwin, Hulan Jack, and David
Dinkins, the former Mayor of NYC.
Survivors include
his wife Isabel Castro Walker of Manhattan, now in the
Bronx Nursing Home; his step-son Joseph Cole of the
Bronx; three grandchildren: Joseph Cole Jr. and Faith
Cole of Queens and Tiana Cole of Florida; his brother
Emmett Walker of Fort Washington MD; a niece, Lisa
Walker of Columbia MD, a nephew, Emmett Walker Jr. of
Atlanta; and a host of loving colleagues and friends.
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Other
Information: Joe Walker was a long time
resident at 334 East 108th
Street, New York , NY. At his death he was a
resident of the Bronx Center for
Rehabilitation and Health Care (Nursing
Home), at 1010 Underhill Ave, Bronx, NY
10472. Joe developed an infection which did
not respond to treatment.
Ackerman's Funeral Chapel, 725 Gunn Hill
Road, Bronx, NY 10467 arranged his
cremation. Certificate of death was issued
by NYC Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene on Aug 17th, certificate No.
156-07-033475.
Photos: Pictures of Joe Walker can be
forwarded to include: Joe Walker single
picture; Joe Walker interviewing Martin
Luther King, Jr.; Joe Walker interviewing
Adam Clayton Powell Jr.; Joe Walker and
Muhammad Ali; Joe Walker and James Baldwin;
Joe Walker and Angela Davis, Joe Walker and
former NY city major David Dinkins and many
others. |
Contact: LTC (ret) Emmett L. Walker, Brother / 7731
Loudon Drive, Fort Washington MD, 20744 / (301) 248
8240. Cell: (240) 353-557
allhigh7@verizon.net
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posted 9 September
2007 * * * *
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updated 13 October
2007 |
