2013 was a milestone year at the RFC. In addition to transitioning the leadership of the organization from our founder, my father Robert Meeropol, to me, we also commemorated the 60th anniversary of my grandparents’ execution. And, 22 years after we made our first two grants (which totaled under $900) we passed the $5 million granted mark!
A significant percentage of our awards are renewals, providing services for children who have received support from us in the past. This is a manifestation of the RFC’s commitment to be a reliable source of support for the children of targeted activists as long as they continue to need our help. This funding philosophy grew out of my dad’s experiences after his family was targeted. He and his brother were bounced from place to place, staying in a shelter and an orphanage as well as living with family friends and relatives.
Uncertainty and upheaval were dominant traits of this time, which my uncle still calls “the long nightmare.” Loving support from their adoptive parents and the stability and sense of community that came from attending progressive schools, summer camp and artistic programs were vital sources of healing for my dad and uncle.
We know that children in traumatic circumstances yearn for continuity. We are also aware that the impact of targeting on children can last for years or even decades and can often surface in new ways once children have the space and ability to process their experiences. Recent updates from families receiving RFC grants have reinforced that ongoing support is essential:
“Our daughter, now 11, suffers from trauma/PTSD from the FBI arrest [of her dad when she was two]. She was with her dad when it happened. Counseling is to help her with emotions, as stress triggers asthma attacks. Her father is off probation as of last month, but she remains afraid that he’s going to go back to jail.”
“[At age 12, my twin sister and I] weren’t old enough to understand the severity of my father’s situation but we knew it was bad…We became depressed and acted out. The stress of it all made my mother really sick and we were afraid we’d lose her, too. There was chaos and uncertainty….when our father went to prison….and we were bullied for our father’s actions and ostracized. To this day [we’re now 18] we both struggle. Since our father’s imprisonment we’ve been in constant therapy, to rehab, and in mental hospitals. Before all of this happened, things were just easier; we remember being happy and carefree, the future was bright.”
I want every RFC donor to know how much our grants mean to these young people and others like them. Activist parents and their children have told me that as important as our financial help is, the knowledge that the RFC community of thousands stands behind them for the long-term is an even greater comfort and inspiration.