Back in September 2008, a group of like minded people gathered at the Motley Moose to talk about politics and how they could promote politicians and political causes that would change people’s lives for the better.
They were the Motley Moose, promoting Progress through Politics.
One of the Founding Moose, Denise Velez, is nearing the end of her time on this earthly plane. She will be sorely missed both as a source of inspiration and as a dear friend.
(Dee, in her own words, from her most recent post on BlueSky)
Our friend Ono posted this Diary vigil at the Orange Place:
I began reading the DK blog in 2004 when everyone was searching for an answer to how we would survive in the political wilderness after we suffered a painful defeat in the Fall Elections of 2004. I joined in 2005 and discovered Dee’s writings in 2008. She kept the light burning with her brilliant and inspirational posts. Through the dark days, the heady Obama years, the highs and the lows, she was always there. I was lucky enough to meet Dee in person in Providence RI at the 2012 NetRoots and I remember the happy dance we did when we met for breakfast the first morning!
When the Motley Moose became the new blogging home for some of us in 2012, Dee was here and stayed here to connect the Moose to her other communities.
Thank you, Dee. You will always live on in your words and in the many lives you touched.
UPDATE # 1 07/15/2026
Update 07/15/2026: Dee passed this morning surrounded by loved ones in person and from afar.
(Link to BlueSky is here)
UPDATE # 2 07/15/2026
Ono posted this final tribute on Dee’s passing: Our Warrior Healer Has Left On the Next Part of Her Journey
How do you shrink a woman to a few words, a woman raised with love within the cruel and dangerous confines of Jim Crow, a sister who lived the reality of this county’s racism and sexism, the daughter of a Tuskegee Airman who endured racist brutality while in uniform, an actor, and Professor? The granddaughter of a white woman whose family disowned her when she loved and married a black man. A grandmother who spat in the eye of racism and poured love into her son, daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter.
How do you shrink the life of a lifelong activist – a member of The Young Lords and Black Panthers, a brilliant writer, an editor, a musicologist, a Cultural Anthropologist, a Priestess of Yemaya in the Afro-Cuban Lucumi Orisha tradition, a paradigm breaker and shaper to fit onto a page? […]
Ono added this beautiful thought from her comments:
Think Azubia described it best –
I have lost many of the most brilliant artists and mentors in my life. People who’s entire life has been packed moment to moment with passionate commitment to WHATEVER they are doing in those moments. Living in the wake of their accomplishments has convinced me that there is just no way that that kind of committed momentum just stops. What thing in the universe just stops? Why would the God of any religion you choose waste that energy and passion and love?The good don’t actually die young. They move forward faster. They are around the corner, out of our sight. Leaving a path for us to follow.
UPDATE # 3 07/20/2026
From the New York Times, July 20, 2026 Denise Oliver-Velez, a Powerful Voice of the Left, Dies at 78
Denise Oliver-Velez, who helped found the New York division of the leftist collective the Young Lords, championing women’s rights in the male-dominated group, and who later worked in radio, documentary film and academia, died on Wednesday at her home in Kingston, N.Y. She was 78.
I feel lucky to have known her. It made me smile when she stuck a U2 song in one of her dairies, and I was so proud when she called me “sis”. I will work to earn that.
I knew of her after I joined DK in 2008 but it wasn’t until I joined Moose that we became friends. And got closer during the HVN (Hillary News & Views) months and during the time we were both a part of the group CFing to build Aji’s house. I met her in person at NN 16 in St. Louis and then NN 18 in NOLA. I wasn’t officially there, I did a detour on the way to somewhere else and stayed in her room overnight. Since I’d been banned the Nov before we both laughed that DK was paying for my dinner and breakfast as well as parking for my rental car in the hotel (charged to Dee’s room which DK was paying for). She was so much fun. And I learned so much from her. I was honored she called me “sis” – and proud when she RT’d any of my posts. I knew if she RT’d it, I was doing it right. Considering what her earlier life was like we are all blessed she survived long enough for us to meet her. And stayed with us as long as she did. Sending her all the Healing Energy to her shaping, however she wishes/needs to use it. And wave her off as she takes ship for the Western Isles with tears in my eyes and love in my heart. There will be such a crowd there waiting for her when she docks. I hope we meet again.
Never had the awesome privilege of meeting Denise in person, but I loved her posts and revered her wisdom. Felt that every one of her posts educated me. I wish we could have met in person, but there it is: sometimes it just doesn’t happen that way. She inspired me to write posts about Kamala. In fact, she inspired many: we are all better people for having known her, and she will be a beacon of light shining in our memories as long as we live.
Just remembered—she inspired a couple of my short stories, “The Looming of Bastet” and “Chosen of the Orishas.” And her birthday falls on the same day as that of my daughter, August 1—which is, of course, Lammas.
I will be forever grateful that when I needed a place to blog, I remembered the Motley Moose web site and found a home here. When I arrived in 2012, much to my delight, Dee was part of the core group of bloggers who had set up the site. An influx of new posters reanimated the site and we eventually changed the hosting platform when the old one, SoapBlox, was phased out. At any point along the way, Dee could have moved on but she stayed to be a part of our daily blogging then our daily chit chat.
I spent some time looking for photos of NN12 and found a few but none with Dee and none that included the video of our happy dance! It was happy/sad going through old emails and photos, sad because three of the people I blogged with who were also part of my NN12 experience are no longer with us. :(
Really, fk cancer. And fk those who are destroying science and our hopes to be able to treat and possibly eradicate it.
I saw you at GOS and about fell off my chair. I miss you so much and I think I fixed logging in. We’ll see.
It looks like you logged in!! Your comment was stuck in the moderation queue and I released it. Yes, I logged into the GOS and did not die from it but I was a little triggered. I am returning daily to Ono’s diary to make sure that I have any updates. I am so glad that Dee is not in any pain and hope that her passage is easy.
Thank you Jan….
I have deep appreciation for the experience of learning from and being with everyone at The Moose. Dee, your daily presence has been a source of wisdom and strength for me, thank you. You will always be in my thoughts.
Jan, thank you for tending to the Moose for so many years. As always my best wishes to all.
From Ono: Our Warrior Healer has Left on Her Next Journey
Click to read Ono’s words.