Howard Ehrlich, presente!

Saturday, February 14, 2015 Howard Ehrlich - Memorial and Celebration of Life

Howard Ehrlich passed away on February 2. His friends are preparing a Celebration of His Life to be held on Saturday March 21 from 6:00PM - 9:30PM at the 2640 Place (2640 St. Paul St, Baltimore 21218). We will hold an informal reception from 6:00 - 7:00 with light refreshments. A program will be held from 7:00 - 8:30PM, followed by another reception. We hope that you can attend and that you will forward this email to others who might be interested.

In lieu of flowers, tax deductible contributions can be made in Howard's name to the Research Associates Foundation, P.O. Box 26152, Baltimore, MD 21210.

Howard Ehrlich was the president of Research Associates Foundation and the catalyst for its creation of a fund to award small grants to progressive activists and projects in the Baltimore area. He was committed to social justice all his life. May we remember and honor him as we carry on the struggle!

Below is the draft obituary which was submitted to the Baltimore Sun, written by Fred Pincus and Barbara Larcom. We are still awaiting word as to publication - in the meantime, you have more information here about Howard's contributions to the world:

Howard J. Ehrlich, scholar and community activist, died February 2 due to complications from Parkinson's and cardiac disease. He was 82.

Ehrlich resigned from his position as professor of sociology at the University of Iowa in 1971 and moved to Baltimore to become a full-time political activist. "He had a lively, active mind and was always full of ideas, proposals and ways to improve social problems," said longtime friend Natalie Sokoloff.

Ehrlich founded “The Great Atlantic Radio Conspiracy” in 1972, a half-hour radio program than ran on WBJC-FM for 20 years. He founded Research Group One, a small independent publisher of pamphlets and other materials. He founded the Baltimore School in the 1980s, intended as an alternative non-credit school where teachers held classes in their own homes and split the modest tuition with the school administrators. He also founded and edited Social Anarchism in 1980, a journal that pushed forward the boundaries of anarchist theory and political analysis. All of these activities were based in his Charles Village rowhouse in the 2700 block of Maryland Avenue.

Ehrlich was the Research Director at the National Institute Against Prejudice and Violence, based in the University of Maryland School of Social Work, from 1986 - 1993. He coined the term ethnoviolence – physical or verbal violence motivated by prejudice – and studied its emotional and physical impact on the lives of victims. He conducted the first national survey of ethnoviolence, two studies of UMBC students and a study of intergroup relations in an Eastern corporation. His ethnoviolence questionnaire was used for more than 25 college campus studies around the country. When the National Institute disbanded, Ehrlich continued his work by founding The Prejudice Institute which he directed until shortly before his death.

He published 8 books, most recently Hate Crimes and Ethnoviolence (2009) and The Best of Social Anarchism, co-edited with A.H.S. Boy (2013). An avid bread baker, he wrote Fast Breads! (1986) under the pen name of Howard Early. As a wine connoisseur, he also held numerous public tastings over the years.

In addition to his other activities, Ehrlich worked for the Maryland Committee on Occupational Safety and Health for a year and served three terms on the board of the Charles Village Benefits District. He was President of Research Associates Foundation, an organization that awards mini-grants to progressive Baltimore activists and organizations.

He was known for his commitment to justice, keen interest in social issues, and dry wit. His pen names included George E. Catt and M. Lee Catt (his pet cats) and Rattan Davenport. They all still receive occasional mail at his home.

According to Spud Henderson, his friend and colleague, "I read Social Anarchism in my college years. When I moved to Baltimore in the early 1990s, I realized I lived a mere 2 blocks from the Social Anarchism office, so I popped over to introduce myself. I soon found myself co-editor, and that began a relationship of camaraderie and weekly meetings that lasted two decades. I'll miss his silly humor (he originally wanted to name the journal "Broccoli", which always appealed to my Dada nature), and his relentless struggle against the implements of oppression, be they physical or psychological."

He is survived by his partner of many years, Dr. Patricia Webbink; his son, Andrew Webbink; and a loyal circle of friends.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs