Last week I attended the opening of the new exhibit of my grandparents’ prison correspondence at Boston University’s Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center. The event offered attendees a preview of the exhibit, which includes hundreds of letters Ethel and Julius wrote to each other, their attorney, my father and uncle, and other family members from their arrests in 1950 until just before their executions in June 1953.

As we move into Autumn, I’m reminded that until recently my work at this time of year focused on our fall granting cycle. I spent my days doing outreach to potential beneficiaries, connecting with current grantees, and helping new applicants understand our guidelines and application process.

[guest post by RFC Communications Director, Amber Black]

"Idle no more! We will stand together forever. Stand up for what is right. We will unite! Sing, dance and pray. Idle no more."

[guest post by Julie Johnson, RFC Granting Coordinator]

It’s been two weeks since my first RFC Family Gathering. Over a long weekend in early August, 12 families including 22 children and 16 parents, and four peer leaders (all former or current beneficiaries) came together to build community in western Massachusetts.  Parents and children from all over the country spent three days together in dialogue, finding support, having some laughs, and forming bonds.

In July 2012, my father wrote a blog about the post-9/11 militarization of the police and the seemingly endless instances of them turning their arsenal on peaceful protestors. He concluded that this police assault, “amounts to the United States government’s declaration of war on a portion of its population” and went on to note the ways that racism and classism influence the individuals and communities most likely to suffer these attacks.