Fernando Velazquez, Presente!

Judy Marksman, Rest in Power!

Fernando Velazquez, co-anchor and co-producer of Informativo Pacifica with Norma Martinez, tragically passed away February 12 of a ruptured aneurysm. He dedicated 40 years of his life to Pacifica radio and in particular KPFK as a producer, programmer, mentor, organizer, news director, international and internationalist broadcaster, elected staff delegate on the KPFK Local Station Board, and committed pro-people and anti-imperialist journalist, activist and analyst. He is irreplaceable, but his family, friends, colleagues and allies, particularly among the Spanish-language programmers at KPFK, have committed to carry on the work he left incomplete.

Here’s a video interview with Fernando conducted some eight years ago about the situation of Pacifica in the context of his deep understanding and acute analysis of the situation in the world as a whole.

You can contribute towards funeral and family expenses here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-raise-funds-for-fernando-velazquezs-funeral

You can still listen to the tribute broadcast to Fernando during the Informative Pacifica program on Monday, February 14 at 8:00 PM, and Fernando’s final broadcast on KPFK on Informativo Pacifica on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022 at 8:00 PM:

https://www.kpfk.org/archives/

Another sad loss took place in New York.

Pan Africanist Judy Marksman made her transition early on Sunday morning Feb. 13.

WBAI listeners would have heard her in conversation about her late brother Samori Marksman, WBAI’s legendary Program Director, and of course about Imani House in Liberia and Brooklyn.

Information about a memorial service for Judy will follow. 

Below is a link to a GoFundMe page that had been created to help with the cost of her care but will now be used towards her homegoing: https://is.gd/9nnHxf

Cards and notes can be sent to her son: Patrice Allen,1051 Ocean Ave #4, Brooklyn, NY 11226