December 8, 2014
This is the end of my first full year as the Executive Director of the Rosenberg Fund for Children. I am honored by the trust my father has placed in me to carry forward his and my grandparents’ legacy. And I am grateful for the opportunity to nurture the organization my dad created out of the nightmare he experienced as a child.
But I am deeply saddened that more than 60 years after my grandparents’ execution, too many children suffer as my father did when repressive forces attacked his family. The particulars are different but hundreds of kids still face the fallout of their parents’ struggles to preserve civil liberties, wage peace, safeguard the environment, combat racism and homophobia, and organize on behalf of workers, prisoners, immigrants and others whose human rights are under threat. You can help shelter these children and show your solidarity with their parents with a special year-end gift to the Rosenberg Fund for Children.
We’ve dug deep and awarded close to $360,000 in grants this year. That brings the total granted in our history to almost $5.5 million! But my pride in what we have accomplished is tempered by concern. 2014 saw a groundswell of grassroots organizing as people took to the streets to demand an end to police violence, real action on climate change, meaningful reform of our broken immigration system and a living wage for all workers. But hate-filled reactionaries, and law enforcement officers armed with high-powered weapons, have responded in heavy-handed fashion, spewing racist rhetoric or sending military assault vehicles to occupy the streets of our communities.
Despite these obstacles, we can’t lose faith or let repression and economic hard times deter us. I wish I could share all the stories of those whom your donations helped in 2014, but I only have the space to tell you one story about some of the newest members of the RFC family. I hope it will inspire you as it did me (I have used a pseudonym).
Dustin was just an infant when his parents, environmental activists in the Western U.S., faced escalating attacks from those who opposed their attempts to safeguard public forests and water supplies from destructive logging and mining activities. Someone distributed a “wanted” poster in the family’s community containing their home address and Dustin’s dad’s photo. The poster also appeared on social media, where people added comments about their desire to shoot, stab, beat and torture the family in retaliation for the parents’ conservation work. A man reported that he had visited the family's home and gave others advice on how to best gain entrance and harm them. Terrified by the threats, Dustin’s mom took him to live with her parents. The family is now together but still concerned about their safety. An RFC grant will allow Dustin to spend time at a daycare with a safe, enriching environment while his parents work to get back on their feet.
Many of the stories of our beneficiary families are tragic, but they are also inspiring. These grants not only support those who have been laid low, they also help assure activist parents that our community will care for their children while they continue their organizing amidst ongoing harassment. Every dollar you give will show these brave children and their parents how much you and thousands like you value their resistance. We must never let them feel that they stand alone!
That is exactly what the Rosenberg Fund for Children does. But we need all our supporters to dig deep now. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. I pledge that 90% of the funds you contribute in response to this report will be awarded in current or future grants.
Please show your support with a meaningful year-end donation to the RFC. Your help has never been more critical.
The children are depending on you,
Jenn Meeropol
Executive Director