Dennis Brutus was a guest of our series in its tenth anniversary year, 2005. He contributed his profound depth of insight and experience to the fourth Action Speaks panel of the season with the leaping off point: Seattle's anti-globalization march in 1999. We would like to take this moment to thank him once again for his contributions to our program, and far beyond it, to the entire global community and the struggle for social justice.

Goodman writes, "Dennis Brutus broke rocks next to Nelson Mandela when they were imprisoned together on notorious Robben Island. His crime, like Mandela's, was fighting the injustice of racism, challenging South Africa's apartheid regime. Brutus' weapons were his words: soaring, searing, poetic. He was banned, he was censored, he was shot. But this poet's commitment and activism, his advocacy on behalf of the poor, never flagged. Brutus died in his sleep early on Dec. 26 in Cape Town, at the age of 85, but he lived with his eyes wide open. His life encapsulated the 20th century, and even up until his final days, he inspired, guided and rallied people toward the fight for justice in the 21st century."

You can read the rest of the article,"The Poetic Justice of Dennis Brutus" by Amy Goodman, which remembers Dennis' life and work, at truthdig.com.