December 2011
Welcome to the new dawn of activism!
Finally, working people, youth, immigrants, and those concerned with the environment have had enough. They will no longer stand for the super-wealthy ripping us off, plundering the planet, profiting from military nightmares, destroying unions and so much more. But in response to the waves of dissent that have swept the country this year, political arrests have skyrocketed to over four times what they were in 2010.
From Madison to San Juan, from Oakland to New York City, the children of the unemployed, disenfranchised, and victimized—whose parents have been attacked for their resistance—as well as teenaged activists, are suffering. Maybe you can’t join the demonstrators on the front lines or in their encampments, but you can show your solidarity with them by supporting the Rosenberg Fund for Children.
With your help we are rising to the occasion. We haven’t let the challenging economic times deter us. We have increased our granting by $10,000 this year to $370,000. We’ve done this because the need has grown even more critical, and because you’ve shown you’re willing to contribute your precious dollars to help these kids. We’re betting you still feel that way.
I wish I could share all the stories of those whom your donations helped in 2011, but I only have the space to tell you about two of the newest members of the RFC family.
This fall an Attica Prison Visit grant enabled the granddaughter of imprisoned, radical attorney Lynne Stewart to visit Lynne and introduce her to her first great-grandchild, born after Lynne’s imprisonment. Lynne’s zealous representation of unpopular defendants led the government to charge her with aiding terrorism. An RFC grant made this important family reunion possible.
Jackson (pseudonym), now 11, still has nightmares about the time the police raided his home, pointed their guns at him, took his parents to prison and forced him into foster care. Jackson’s parents’ “crime” was their work to bring about peace between young African-Americans and Chicanos in a manner that challenged the authority of the notorious Los Angeles police department. Jackson’s mother writes that his “school work has been disrupted by repression. [He is] suffering from emotional distress … as well as problems of adjustment [to the] school authorities’ insensitivity to issues he faces [because of] the family’s political beliefs.” An RFC grant is paying for Jackson’s therapy.
I chose these two examples because they demonstrate the growing attacks upon those who are agitating for change. So much of what we’re witnessing now echoes the 1930’s, as this recession looks more and more like The Great Depression. But a mass progressive response has finally begun, and now it is our turn to aid their vulnerable children. You can do that today by giving to the Rosenberg Fund for Children. Every extra dollar you contribute will show these brave people and their families how much you and thousands like you value their resistance.
If you’ve already given in 2011, now is the time to make an additional donation. If you haven’t given yet, please show your support with a special, bigger than usual year-end donation to the RFC. Your help has never been more critical. We must never let them feel that they stand alone!
The children are depending on you.
Robert Meeropol
Executive Director