Joe Louis Wildman was my friend for 58 years and  a life-long activist from Broadview,  Illinois where he participated in the Vietnam anti-war movement, was a member of Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton’s Rainbow Coalition, and became a co-founder of Chicago Filmmakers.   
He went on to  “become a key figure in the serious business of Mendocino politics and unions for  more than 25 years. Friends remember him most for  his unforgettable sense of humor, so much so he said he would have been a stand up comedian if he had only had the time.”

Wildman made people laugh and made union opponents wince over his decades as a labor organizer and political activist. He died April 4, 2021, at the age 65. 

I will be completing a short video tribute to Joe and his life’s work as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Chicago Filmmakers, remembering Joe and all the characters who brought create that enduring, significant institution.