Kae Halonen
Template:TOCnestleft Kae Halonen is the daughter of father Oiva Halonen and mother Taimi Hyvonen-Halonen. She has one sister named Marie Ann, aka ReeAnne Halonen.[1]
She is married to Sam Stark.
Family background
Kae Halonen was born in Hibbing, Minnesota, but moved to Seattle as as an infant. Her parents worked as hired hands on a dairy farm in Hibbing. Seattle also included a large number of "Red Finns". Finns were in the leadership of militant miners strikes in the Mesabi Range mines between 1912-1916. Many of those active, were blacklisted from work throughout the Range and had to go elsewhere to survive. Seattle had a General Strike in 1919. At seven years of age, Oiva sold newspapers supporting the strike.
Oiva Halonen was born in 1912 the night the Titanic sank, in the back of a newly built Socialist Hall in Virginia Minnesota.
Oiva's father Yrjo Halonen and mother Selma Halonen were caretakers for the Socialist hall. When followers of Lenin lost an abortive attempt at overthrow of the Czar (Finland was under the Czar at that time) in 1905, George halonen quickly left for the United States. He met Selma, formed a common-law marriage (believing that the state had no right to control love) and had two children, Oiva and Verna Halonen . After George Halonen moved to Seattle he formed a relationship with Anni Sarlin.
Taimi was born in Duluth, Minnesota February 26, 1916. Her parents were Femia Hyvonen and Able Hyvonen. They had one other son, Keijo Hyvonen, who was born in 1919.
Taimi and Oiva met in Seattle as members of the Finnish Federation Youth club. Oiva was working on the construction of Grand Coulee Dam at the time. Oiva Halonen then went to fight in Spain after joining the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Taimi was also a committed Marxist.
Taimi and Oiva were married on March 8,1939 (International Women's Day) in Seattle. Then moved back to Hibbing. Kae was born May 4, 1940, and Marie Ann Halonen (ReeAnn was born April 13, 1943. [2]
SPU re-union
In 2009 Tim Wheeler organized a re-union of the University of Washington branch of the Student Peace Union.
Tim Wheeler August 27, 2009:
Kae Halonen and Duwayne Rader, members of the University of Washington chapter of the Student Peace Union reminisce about those years of struggle to end atmospheric nuclear testing, bomb shelters, and to win total nuclear disarmament. — with Kae Halonen in Sequim, Washington.
Detroit Socialist Collective
In the late 1970s Kae Halonen was involved in the Detroit Socialist Collective
Christopher Alston Memorial
In May 1995 the Communist Party USA Newspaper, People's Weekly World published a memorial to Christopher Alston. It was endorsed by several signatories, mainly identified members of the Michigan Communist Party USA. The list included Kae Halonen.[3]
Memorial to Coleman Young
On December 20 1997 the Communist Party USA's Peoples Weekly World published on page 18, a memorial to late Detroit mayor Coleman Young.
Signatories to the memorial included Kae Halonen.
Communist Party tribute
In July 2007, the Communist Party USA paper Peoples World published a tribute "We salute Joyce Wheeler" to retiring Baltimore public school teacher and Communist Party member Joyce Wheeler. Kae Halonen and Sam Stark signed the tribute page. Most of the more than 100 signatories were identified Party members.[4]
Peoples World picnic
Kae Halonen attended the July 18 2010, Peoples World picnic, in Gennessee Park, Seattle, a benefit for the Communist Party USA newspaper. Halonen was visiting her sister at the time. She is from Michigan and had recently attended the Social Forum
She quoted the progressive evangelist, Rev. Don Wallis, that basic change requires two things: a mighty movement that "knocks on the door" and someone inside willing to "open the door." Some on the left, she said, "don't understand that we need someone who will open the door...George W. Bush would never open the door no matter how hard we knocked. President Obama will open the door." [5]
DSA book signing
Over 40 people attended a book signing event for former Representative David Bonior’s new memoir East Side Kid at the Ferndale Public Library on Saturday, February 28th, 2015.
Co-sponsors of the event included the Greater Detroit Democratic Socialists of America, Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO, Southeast Michigan Jobs with Justice, and the Ferndale Public Library. Speakers included Metro Detroit AFL-CIO President Rick Blocker, Kae Halonen of Southeast Michigan Jobs with Justice, and Macomb County Commissioner Fred Miller who introduced Rep. Bonior.[6]
References
- ↑ [1] The Halonen Family Album, accessed July 23, 2010
- ↑ [2] The Halonen Family Album, accessed July 23, 2010
- ↑ PWW May Day Supplement, May 6 1995, Page F.
- ↑ We salute Joyce Wheeler, Peoples world July 27, 2007
- ↑ [3] People's World picnic: High spirits, big bucks, Peoples World, July 21 2010
- ↑ DSA Hosts Book Signing Event for Bonior Memoir By David Green