Blase Bonpane has died. He was a member of World BEYOND War’s Speakers Bureau. Bonpane was the director of the Office of the Americas. He served on the faculties of UCLA and California State University Northridge.
His articles have been published internationally, and he worked as a contributor to the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.
Blase previously served as a Maryknoll priest in Guatemala during the revolutionary conflict of the 1960s. As a result of his work in peasant organizations, he was expelled from that country in 1967.
On his return to the United States, Bonpane and his family lived at the headquarters of United Farm Workers with César Chávez, where he was editor of UFW publications.
Bonpane was host of the weekly radio program World Focus on Pacifica Radio (KPFK, Los Angeles). He was named “the most underrated humanist of the decade” by the Los Angeles Weekly.
In 2006, he was awarded the Distinguished Peace Leadership Award by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
His books include: Civilization is Possible (Red Hen Press, 2008); Common Sense for the Twenty-first Century (2004); Guerrillas of Peace: On the Air (2000); and Guerrillas of Peace: Liberation Theology and the Central American Revolution (iUniverse, 2000, 3rd edition).
2 Responses
Thank you, Mr Blase Bonpane, for your gifts to humanity. And thanks to all who worked alongside you in your precious work. May we remember your struggle and learn from it.
One of the most inspiring, sensitive , lovely human (ist) I was fortunate to have met. I have fond memories of being around Blase, Theresa, Phyllis , Bob and Renee and Larry. I can’t imagine Blaise RIP but if anyone deserves it he does. Thank you, Blaise for your pure dedication to this world.
Jill Carey