Poetry in Memoriam: Dedan Gills
Dedan Gills transitioned peacefully in the company of his beloved wife, Belvie Rooks, and three sons, Dedan Jr., Tranell and Mansa on December 20, 2015, at the age of 70. During his stay at the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco this past fall, he could often be found sitting quietly in the backyard gardens, joined by hummingbirds and ravens as he wrote poems and reflections. Dedan’s poems have appeared in Sufism, an inquiry over many years, and he was a featured presenter at the IAS Building Bridges of Understanding Series, speaking about human evolution through the metaphor of jazz. Dedan was also a founding member of the poetry slam collective Avay-i-Janaan, and presenter at the Songs of the Soul Festival. Among his last lines of poetry completed in the garden, Dedan wrote: “Music is my medicine, kindness is my song.” It was a message he practiced throughout his life, even signing each of his poems, “Your Comrade in Kindness, Dedan Gills.” Dedan was born on August 21, 1945 in Watts, CA to Elizabeth and Dudley Gills. Old friends and siblings note that even as a young man, Dedan’s kind manner touched the heart of every person he met, and he was known throughout his life for his constancy, humor and listening ear. He was co-founder of the W.E.B. DuBois School in Los Angeles, and was instrumental in the formation of the Black Student Alliance in Southern California, an organization that had deep historical impact on the evolution of the Civil Right Movement. Dedan was heavily influenced by Dr. King, Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X, and shared their unrelenting commitment to human right and human dignity. He identified himself first and foremost as a student of life, interested in connection and in the location and cultivation of common ground. With Belvie, Dedan co-founded Growing a Global Heart and pioneered the idea of “Green Recovery” – a concept that combines the stewardship and restoration of urban areas with circles of engaged and intergenerational dialogue. Inspiration for this work arose in Ghana, where Dedan and Belvie were married in 2007, and in response to a visit to El Mina slave dungeon, and awareness of the millions of unremembered women, men and children sold and enslaved there over 300 years. As they stood on the shores of Accra, a question arose through Dedan: “What would healing look like?” A bright vision then came that combined ecological and social justice in a “‘greening’ of the inner and outer spirit, and that included
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Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 2