Mark Rudd

Mark Rudd was a leader of the 1968 Columbia University student strike, the last national secretary of Students for a Democratic Society, and a founder of the Weather Underground. A retired teacher in Albuquerque, N.M., he recently published the memoir Underground: My Life in SDS and Weatherman. More of his work can be found at www.markrudd.com.

The Male Cult of Martyrdom: Saying Adios to Che

Mark Rudd's mug shot, 1969.

For almost a decade of my life, I was a member of the cult of Che Guevara. I worshipped the man as the embodiment of true revolutionary spirit and consciousness. I tried to internalize his thinking. What motivated him? How had he learned to live (and die) for the worldwide revolution? How could I become as fearless and selfless toward the wretched of the earth as he was? How could I become a revolutionary hero like him?