Erica (right) and her mother Olga Domanski in 1979.
The lively voice of lifelong revolutionary Erica Rae was stilled far too soon when she died from cancer on Feb. 1. Erica made many contributions to News and Letters Committees in activities and writing—as youth, woman, and educator. These contributions were not separated from her devotion to teaching young students in both English and Spanish, as she drew out the best from them.
Erica was born in West Virginia to coal miner father Andy Phillips and Olga Domanski, both of whom were active members of News and Letters Committees. Andy worked in the mine and wrote passionately about the horrible working conditions in the mines and the miners’ revolts, while Olga Domanski was secretary to Raya Dunayevskaya for over a quarter century.
Raised in Detroit, as a pre-teen Erica famously turned down an invitation to join the newly-formed Women’s Liberation-News and Letters Committee because their meetings conflicted with Lassie on TV, but shortly afterward she was sharing Marxist-Humanism with the youth in revolt at Cass Tech High School—an activity she continued when she attended Wayne State University (WSU).
Her critique of the limits of solidarity among youth at WSU meetings on women betrayed by leaders of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and on the gunning down of Kent State students on May 4, 1970, while downplaying the murders of Black students at Jackson State on the same day, remain relevant to the movement today. Likewise, Erica countered the narrow agenda of organizers of an abortion rights rally in Chicago in 1989 with: “Anything short of total freedom will fail in the end.”
In addition to maintaining communication with Spanish-speaking revolutionaries in the U.S. and Latin America, including reporting directly from Mexico City in
Erica speaking at the centenary of Raya Dunayevskaya’s birth at the Walther P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University in 2010. Photo: Terry Moon/News & Letters.
1992, Erica wrote two essays for News & Letters with ongoing impact. “Needed: debate on education in era of cutbacks” in 2011 laid out the obstacles to teachers and students regaining control of education in Chicago. The very next year the Chicago Federation of Teachers, under new rank-and-file leadership, addressed that problem with a strike that became a beacon for insurgent teachers and workers nationwide.
“Women, youth, and education in revolutionary Paris” demonstrated that the 1871 Paris Commune, 114 years later, still had more aspects to illuminate what revolution demands.
In addition to Erica’s writings and extensive public speaking, we will miss the comrade who loved music passionately and sang with the North Shore Choral Society and who cheerfully worked alongside us for revolution for her whole life.
–Bob McGuire
Erica speaking to fellow panelist on education at the News and Letters Committees Library in Chicago in 2012. Photo: Terry Moon/News & Letters.
Sorry to read that Erica died. Remember her from a number of News and Letters meetings I went to. She was always passionate and articulate.
Words cannot express the sadness I feel at learning of the death of dear Comrade Erica Rae Sufritz. Erica was the loving daughter of Olga Domanski and Andy Phillips, who were among the founders of News and Letters, along with Raya Dunayevskaya. She was a schoolteacher who inspired her students all of the many years that she worked in her chosen profession. They are all gone now and all that we have left are our memories of our dear friends and comrades.
When the roll call of the revolution is sounded, the names of Erica, Olga, Andy, and Raya will be echoed with honor.
I would like to thank Bob McGuire for the beautiful in memoriam he wrote for our dear Erica. I will never forget her.
Thank you so much for writing this beautiful obituary and memory of my friend Erica. I’m so sad to hear her passing. God have her in her glory. Amen.