Radical Mom, Will Be Missed
“When I first met Connie she was a young idealistic revolutionary posing as a college student, but living as an activist—studying the world by enthusiastically attempting to change it. Those were early days when she was engaged in debating the finer points of philosophy by day and practicing that commitment at night.”
Dr. Tim Casey in the special “connie” edition of the long outta print underground newspaper “The Red Pill”
Connie Murillo (Dec. 1979– March 2017), was a compassionate organizer, writer, and anarchist. She was a founding member of “The Red Pill” (2004) and later Grand Junction Alternative Media. She was one of the original members of The Confluence Collective (2005). She was an active organizer with A Voice of Reason (2003-2010), the local anit-Iraq War peace group.
Connie wrote and published her own radical parenting zine “The Peep Show” and was a contributor, and eventually editor for a national radical parenting zine “Mammaphiles.”
She was often seen with her kids in tow at many local and state protest for social and environmental justice. From women’s rights, homelessness, Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall St. and anti-uranium mining, she was often the one with the camera documenting the people’s movements for justice.
Even after Connie was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, she continued her fight for justice. Organizing with Black Lives Matter and hauling supplies to the water protectors at Standing Rock. All while serving on the Board of the Unitarian Universalist Congergation of the Grand Valley. She engaged her cancer and community by chronicled the illness that would eventually take her life, in a blog.
Grand Junction will never be the same, nor will anyone who knew her. Ripples of her activism are felt today in the local Mutual Aid movement and the massive and sustained protests the spring of 2020, in response to the police murder of George Floyd.
“She was once my student, but always my teacher. Dance well among the stars, my friend, we are indelibly stamped with the tattoo of your spirit on our souls.” Dr. Tim Casey, special “connie” issue of The Red Pill.
Joseph Hayes
Hi Jacob. Marian Dorn sent me a link to your excellent site and I have been enjoying it for the last few days. It’s great to see these untold stories be told again, and so well. I love history, particularly when told by Howard Zinn and others willing to dig for the truth, even and especially when it exposes centuries of lies and propaganda by the capitalistic power elites. I would like to read more about the Teller Institute, the Grand Junction Indian School, but I am not finding much. Are their other pieces on your site that cover this topic? I look forward to attending your presentation at the library on March 17.
coloradofishingmaps
Hey Joe, good to hear from you. Blog is kinda to keep me writing. I am working on a book length project with all this so I can’t put all the dirt out for free. I am sure i’ll blog some more on the topic, but I am saving some material for the book. I will be presenting at the Mesa County Library March 17th at 12-noon. History of Progressive Movements in the Grand Valley 1881-Now.