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<font size=3>Victoria H. Garvin, African-American liberation activist and
dedicated internationalist, died on June 11, 2007, after a long illness,
at the age of 91. <br><br>
Vicki, as she was affectionately known, was born in Richmond, Virginia
and grew up in a working class family in Harlem. Her mother was a
domestic in rich white homes; her father a plasterer who often was
unemployed due to racism in construction unions. Vicki spent her summers
working in the garment industry to supplement her family's income.
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From high school on, she became active in Black protest politics,
supporting efforts by Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. to obtain better paying
jobs for African-Americans in Harlem and creating Black history clubs
dedicated to building library resources. After earning her B.A. in
political science from Hunter College, she became the first
African-American woman to earn a Master’s degree in Economics from Smith
College, and did graduate work in French literature. She spent World War
II working for the National War Labor Board in New York, organizing a
union there and serving as its President. When the wartime agencies
ended, she became National Research Director of the United Office and
Professional Workers of America and co-chair of its Fair Employment
Practices Committee. During the postwar purges of the Left in the CIO,
she was a strong voice of protest and a sharp critic of the CIO’s failure
to organize in the South. <br><br>
She was married briefly to a trade union organizer, and although they
divorced, she kept his last name. In 1951 she took part in the formation
of the National Negro Labor Council (NNLC), and became a national Vice
President and Executive Secretary of the New York City chapter. With the
NNLC, she worked closely with Coleman Young, later Mayor of Cleveland,
and she organized cultural programs featuring Paul Robeson, then under
persecution. He was a close friend until his death. In 1955, under
pressure from the House Un-American Activities Committee and other
repression, the NCLC disbanded. <br><br>
In the wake of McCarthyism, Vicki traveled to Africa in the late 1950s,
worked in Nigeria, and then went to Ghana, where she worked closely with
Dr. W.E.B. DuBois and Shirley Graham DuBois, Alphaeus and Dorothy Hunton,
and others on the African Encyclopedia and anti-colonialist efforts. In
Ghana she lived with Maya Angelou and Alice Windom. When Malcolm X, who
Vicki had known in Harlem, visited Africa, Vicki introduced Malcolm to
the ambassadors from China, Cuba, and Algeria whom she knew from teaching
English at the embassies. Using her French language skills, she
interpreted for his meeting with the Algerians. <br><br>
In 1964 Vicki was invited to China by the Chinese ambassador. Both
Malcolm X and Dr. DuBois encouraged her to go. She taught English for six
years in Shanghai. She became close friends with many of her young
students and kept in touch with them over the years. In China, she also
became close to then political exiles Robert F. Williams and Mabel
Williams. When Mao Tse-Tung issued his proclamation in support of the
Afro-American movement in 1968, Vicki made a speech about the statement
to a rally of millions. Also in China she met and married Leibel Bergman
in a Red Guard ceremony during the early days of the Cultural Revolution,
and became a loving stepmother to his daughter and two sons. <br><br>
On their return to the U.S, they lived in Newark, where Vicki was
Director of the Tri-City Citizen’s Union, a community organization for
children and teenagers. In Manhattan, Vicki worked for four years as Area
Leader for Community Interaction at the Center for Community Health
Systems of the Faculty of Medicine of Columbia University. Later they
moved to Chicago, but when the marriage ended Vicki returned to her
parent’s home in Brooklyn and cared for them until their deaths.
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She remained active in political and international circles, traveling
back to China several times, and making many trips to Africa and the
Caribbean, often with her dear friend Adelaide Simms. She was an active
supporter of many organizations, including: Sisters Against South African
Apartheid/Sisters to Assist South Africa (SASAA); the Committee to
Eliminate Media Offensive to African People (CEMOTAP); Black Workers for
Justice; and the Center for Constitutional Rights.<br><br>
Vicki spoke at community events and joined rallies in support of Mumia
Abu Jamal and other political prisoners. She was recognized by many
organizations as an “honored elder” for her contributions to the freedom
struggle of her people and the world’s peoples. In speeches made just
before her serious health decline, Vicki urged the younger generations
forward. She wrote: “Of course there will be twists and turns, but
victory in the race belongs to the long distance runners, not sprinters…
Everywhere the just slogan is reverberatingno justice, no peace!” She is
survived by two stepchildren, Miranda and Lincoln Bergman. A memorial
celebration of her life will be scheduled in New York City later this
year. <br><br>
For information on this event, please contact Lincoln Bergman by email at
<a href="mailto:lbergman@berkeley.edu">lbergman@berkeley.edu</a> or phone
510 367-8922.<br><br>
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