Tom Hayden was exceptional in that his commitment to the rights of young people and his recognition of their centrality to social change was consistent throughout his life, even as many of his comrades and admirers abandoned the idealism of their own youth starting in the 1980s. His move from protest to mainstream politics during that same period and his subsequent career demonstrated that pragmatism didn’t have to come at the cost of total abandonment of ideals.
Condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
