In passing: Geraldine A. Ferraro

(In passing marks the memory of a person featured in IntLawGrrls)

Geraldine A. Ferraro died from blood cancer yesterday in a Boston hospital. She was 75 years old.
While working by day as a schoolteacher, the New York native enrolled in night classes at Fordham Law School; "she was one of two women in a class of 179 and received her law degree in 1960." As a district attorney she focused on crimes involving violence against women; later, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, she pushed for legislation on equal rights, abortion rights, and other women's issues.
Ferraro made in history in 1987: chosen as the Democratic nominee for Vice President, she was the 1st woman to run at the top of a major party's slate.
She and her running mate, U.S. Sen. Walter F. Mondale, lost the election to Ronald Reagan and his running mate, wo later would become the first of two men named George Bush to serve as President of the United States.
In later years, Ferraro contributed to the promotion of human rights. She served as the United States' Ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Commission from 1993 to 1996, during the administration of President Bill Clinton. In a statement issued yesterday, he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said:

For us, Gerry was above all a friend and companion. From the rough-and-tumble of political campaigns to the important work of international diplomacy, we were honored to have her by our side. She was a tireless voice for human rights and helped lead the American delegation to the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Through it all, she was a loyal friend, trusted confidante, and valued colleague.

In passing: Ellen L. Lutz

Ellen L. Lutz, an international human rights lawyer, teacher, and activist, died this past Thursday, November 4, at her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The cause was metastatic breast cancer. She was 55.
During her final two years battling the disease, Ellen (near right) directed the Cambridge-based human rights organization Cultural Survival, co-edited two pioneering books (Prosecuting Heads of State, (Cambridge U. Press) and Human Rights and Conflict Management in Context (Syracuse U. Press), submitted formal reviews on state behavior to the UN Human Rights Council, led international litigation on behalf of Panama’s threatened Nobe Indians, and sang alto with the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus. She did each with equal enthusiasm and skill.
Her concern for human rights began when, as a 15-year-old exchange student to Uruguay, she witnessed the onset of Uruguay’s state sponsored “Dirty War,” and supported the international human rights movements such actions spawned across Latin American during the 1970s. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Temple University (1976) and obtaining a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from Bryn Mawr (1978), Ellen took a Law Degree in International Law and Human Rights from Boalt Hall Law School (University of California at Berkeley) in 1985.
Ellen’s persistent interest in Latin America continued as professional work with Amnesty International (1979-81), in Washington, D.C., and in San Francisco.
She later headed the California office of Human Rights Watch (1989-94), where she conducted research and published on little-known but extensive human rights abuses in Mexico, and she was co-counsel in two groundbreaking human rights cases in U.S. courts, against the infamous Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and Argentine General Suarez-Mason.
Moving with her family to Westborough, Massachusetts, in 1994, she helped to set up and then served as Executive Director of the Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, taught international law. human rights, and mediation at Tufts, Harvard and the University of Massachusetts, and wrote widely. One of her students, now a professor at Occidental College, recalled how

warm and desirous she was of connecting to students amid the formal Fletcher iciness, a marvelous force of nature.

Ellen was asked to become Executive Director of Cultural Survival in 2004, where she increased the participation of indigenous people on the Board of Directors and Program Council, while steering the organization away from local development projects to broad human rights initiatives. Ellen said:

Development work like building schools, digging wells, and providing services is what governments should be doing. Our work is to make sure governments live up to their obligations.

One of her colleagues wrote,

It would be difficult to quantify Ellen’s ferocious passion for justice. Her zeal and natural warm-heartedness combined with a legal rigor that made her a truly formidable advocate.

There was much of such personal and professional praise. But, perhaps the most encompassing and, for Ellen, meaningful compliment came from Stella Tamang, a Nepalese tribal leader and friend:

To Ellen, my Kalyana Mitra,
In Buddhism Kalyana means Wellbeing and Mitra means friend. Kalyana Mitra therefore means friends who always think about their wellbeing. You have been such wonderful friend, a constant support during the problems I was facing about the political problem back in Nepal. We also talked about family, our children, and life. I am blessed to have a friend like you. We believe that if a person has done good Karma, he or she gets to meet with wonderful people, and you are the one for me...

And Ellen was not a Buddhist. Ellen is survived by her husband, Theodore Macdonald, an anthropologist previously with Cultural Survival and now with Harvard University, and her two children from a previous marriage, David and Julia Randall, now studying at the University of Massachusetts and Harvard, respectively. Her cat, Misty, and dog, Churi, are well taken care of. Her friends, among them many women human rights lawyers, are grateful to her for her wise counsel and unflagging dignity. All are thankful to their Kalyana Mitra.

In passing: ¢ for UNICEF founder

Often completing this 'Grrl's Halloween costume was the tote at left.
Many a year we Midwestern children would knock on doors to "Trick or Treat for UNICEF," seeking donations to help the United Nations help children in need. For many of us, it was an early raising of awareness -- an early invitation to consider how we might respond in our own small ways to the plight of others throughout the world.
Of great interest, therefore, was the news that the woman who founded the campaign has died at age 93, just a few days short of the 60th anniversary of her achievement.
As detailed in The New York Times' obituary, the idea came to Mary Emma Allison, a schoolteacher long concerned about social justice, while shopping in 1949 in Philadelphia. (credit for photo of Allison and her costume-clad children) Soon she and her husband had created a global movement, called "Pennies for UNICEF" in those days of less deflated economy. Enlisted in the effort have been cultural icons ranging from Casper, the Friendly Ghost (below), to Superman, the Man of Steel. Since its founding the campaign has raised more than $160 million.
No need for a collection box to contribute in Allison's honor; anyone can click here to donate to UNICEF this Halloween.

In passing: Louis Henkin

We note with sadness the passing of Louis Henkin (right), who died this morning at age 92.
Lou, as some of us were honored to call him, may not have been much taller than I, but he was a true giant in our field -- in international law, particularly as it interrelates with the constitutional law of the United States.
I first met Lou soon after I began teaching at the University of California, Davis, School of Law; I was privileged to serve as a moderator when our Journal of International Law & Policy held a symposium to mark the 2d edition of Foreign Affairs and the Constitution (1997), one of Lou's many landmark books. His kindness and erudition were evident, as was the high regard of the assembled conference participants.
A year or two later, during an annual meeting of the American Society of International Law -- for which he served as President from 1994 to 1996 -- I was standing at a D.C. streetcorner, patiently waiting for the traffic signal to change. "You're obviously not from New York," came a voice from behind, and soon Lou, by then in his 80s, strode past me and safely crossed the empty road without regard for the red light.
Lou, he was a New Yorker.
Though born on Nov. 11, 1917, in what is now Belarus, he was resident in New York's Lower East Side by his 7th birthday, his family having fled anti-Jewish agitation in their homeland.
Following undergraduate studies at New York's Yeshiva University and law studies at Harvard, he clerked first for 2d Circuit Judge Learned Hand, then for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter. He served in the Army during World War II, then worked at the U.S. Department of State, eventually arriving at Columbia Law School in 1956. There he undertook a truly stellar career in international law, marked by, among many other things, his service as Reporter of the Restatement (Third) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States (1987). Many more career details may be found in this obituary at Columbia's website.
A last memory:
On one of the too-few opportunities I had to talk with Lou, we discussed a then-forthcoming casebook for which he was the 1st-listed author. He noted with pride that he had succeeded in naming the book, simply, Human Rights. No "international" to modify -- perhaps, implicitly to undercut -- what he saw as the chosen words' fundamental, universal essence.

In passing

The adage often works in reverse. Many a woman's supported by many a great man.
That thought in mind, I mark the passing this week of my dad, Robert Bernard Amann, shown at left dancing with his only daughter at her midsummer wedding years ago.

Yesterday's rites closed with taps at graveside, followed by an image often marked here: an officer in dress blues hands over a trifolded banner and says,

On behalf of the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your father's service to Country and Corps.

In Passing: Rhonda Copelon

It is with a heavy heart that I write to tell you that my beloved CUNY colleague, friend, and mentor Professor Rhonda Copelon, died on May 6th, 2010 after a four year struggle with ovarian cancer. She will be greatly missed.
As a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights, Rhonda’s groundbreaking work in Filártiga v. Peña-Irala (2d Cir. 1980) gave victims of international human rights abuses access to justice in United States courts. This case established that torture was a violation of the law of nations, a principle of which we seem to have lost sight in recent times. Using a hitherto obscure federal statute, the Alien Tort Claims Act, Rhonda’s advocacy paved the way for many high profile human rights cases, including the recently settled suit brought by Ken Saro Wiwa’s family against Shell Oil. Harold Koh has called this case the Brown v. Board of Education of International Human Rights.
Rhonda was also lead counsel in Harris v. McRae (1980), a pivotal case concerning the reproductive rights of poor women. Although successful in the lower courts, Rhonda’s loss at the Supreme Court haunted her for the rest of her life.
As a founding member of CUNY Law School, Rhonda poured her energy into establishing the International Women's Human Rights Clinic. Every year, students in the clinic work to protect the rights of women around the world and in the United States. The CUNY website has a marvelous video of Rhonda discussing her remarkable career in human rights.
In 2009, Rhonda was awarded the M. Shanara Gilbert Human Rights Award by the Society of American Law Teachers. On April 20, 2010, the Center for Constitutional Rights honored Rhonda for her life’s work and established the Copelon Fund for Gender Justice.
Rhonda was not just a great lawyer, she was also a generous mentor and friend to students, and young professionals. Her tireless advocacy on behalf of women will never be forgotten.
I've included below just a couple of tributes from women in international law whose lives Rhonda touched, and welcome you to add your thoughts in the comments section.

What a loss to the clinical community and to the ongoing struggle for women's human rights! Rhonda was an amazing, passionate, committed advocate for women's human rights. I first met her when I was at AU. Rather than being territorial towards a newcomer, she was supportive of all persons with a commitment to women's human rights, and worked tirelessly for the cause. She was loved and respected around the world. I saw her in action in Beijing at the Women's Conference in 1995, and had the opportunity to work together on a project with women's rights advocates from throughout Latin America to integrate a gender perspective into legal education. She was universally respected and admired and her legacy will be everlasting.

--Lauren Gilbert

I am so saddened at the passing of Rhonda Copelon. She was a brilliant lawyer and an inspiring teacher and a warm and generous person. I met Rhonda during the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women. I was not yet a lawyer and new to the world of U.N. conferences and human rights advocacy, and she was unfailingly supportive and always willing to share her expertise in navigating complicated issues and institutions. She has served as a model of engagement and accessibility to me and so many others. Her passing is a huge loss.

-- Rachel Rosenbloom

Farewell to a Legal Pioneer: Nancy Paterson

Nancy Paterson—one of the chief architects of the indictment against Slobodan Milošević—died a couple of weeks ago of ovarian cancer at the age of 56. I had the pleasure of working with Nancy at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) where she was a Team Legal Advisor.
Nancy was a woman who saw no gender boundaries. She reportedly played Little League in the 1960s on a boy’s team and then played basketball at University of Miami in Ohio. After graduating from Syracuse Law School, she made her way to the District Attorney’s office in Manhattan and worked under the legendary Robert Morganthau. During her eleven-year stint at the DA’s office, she worked primarily on child abuse and sex crimes cases and also helped to form one of the first special victim’s bureaus.
In the mid-1990s, she served on the U.N. Commission of Experts that investigated war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Balkans. The work of the Commission laid the groundwork for the establishment of the ICTY. Nancy joined the Office of the Prosecutor in 1994 (one of the first handful of staff) and co-authored the Kosovo indictment against Milošević, making him the first sitting head of state to be indicted by a modern international tribunal. (See prior posts here). This indictment was later extended to accuse Milošević of crimes committed in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
After leaving the tribunal on the day the trial of Milošević began, Nancy worked on fraud issues with the World Bank and the U.S. Federal Reserve.
She will be missed.

Her obituaries are available here: New York Times, Washington Post.
An interview with her in which she gives advice to law students is available here.

In passing: Wilma Mankiller

(In passing marks the memory of a person featured in IntLawGrrls)

Wilma Mankiller (left) succumbed yesterday to pancreatic cancer at her home near Tahlequah, in eastern Oklahoma.
As we've posted, a quarter-century ago Mankiller "became the 1st woman Chief of a major Native American tribe." Her New York Times obituary, published today, credits her with "revitaliz[ing] the Cherokee Nation’s tribal government and improv[ing] its education, health and housing ..." (credit for 2005 photo)
She spoke often on issues affecting indigenous peoples; a video clip from a 2008 talk is here.
Mankiller was born 64 years ago in Tahlequah, the 6th of 11 children born to a Cherokee father and a Dutch-Irish mother. When she was 10 or 11,

the family moved to San Francisco as part of a relocation policy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Its aim was to move Indians off federally subsidized reservations with the promise of jobs in America’s big cities.

She spoke of the move this way in a 1993 NYT interview:

'I set out on what I call my own little Trail of Tears.'

In San Francisco, Mankiller married early and in her 20s was known as "Mrs. Hugo Olaya." But as we've posted, she became

politicized when she joined the occupation of Alcatraz. She then moved back to Oklahoma to apply her skills on behalf of her people. Reelected Chief once, Mankiller resigned in 1995 because of ill health.

Yesterday the current Cherokee leader said on the tribe's website:

'We are better people and a stronger tribal nation because of her example of Cherokee leadership, statesmanship, humility, grace, determination and decisiveness. When we become disheartened, we will be inspired by remembering how Wilma proceeded undaunted through so many trials and tribulations.'

In passing: Zimbabwe human rights defender Keith Goddard, 1960-2009

Keith Goddard (left), a human rights defender of tremendous courage and tenacity, died this weekend after a short illness.
The Director of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), Goddard helped transform what had been primarily a social organization with a mostly white and middle-class membership into a political group whose membership both reflected and served the broader LGBTI community in Zimbabwe. (photo credit)
GALZ made international headlines in 1995 when President Robert Mugabe hurled vicious verbal attacks after the group applied to participate in the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. The group was ultimately prohibited from participating in the book fair, whose theme that year was “Justice and Human Rights.”
Ironically, the president's vitriolic statements gave GALZ the coverage it had been denied for over a year when its access to media was banned by the state-controlled newspapers and radio, as the President's remarks were covered extensively. People all across the country learned of GALZ, and, as noted by the organization in its account of the Book Fair Saga, "the membership of GALZ, especially amongst younger black lesbian and gay people, increased dramatically."
The membership of GALZ also grew to include straight allies of the movement, as seen in the remarkable story of prominent lesbian activist and GALZ organizer Tsitsi Tiripano, profiled here by Ms. Magazine in its "Uppity Women" series.

International law "provided the backbone to much of the work of GALZ," Keith Goddard wrote here:

Although their contents have not been translated into local domestic law, these international instruments give GALZ the moral authority to formulate policies on lgbt issues which are in line with modern international thinking.

In its statement announcing Goddard's passing, GALZ wrote:

Although of small stature he had a voice that commanded authority and silence any room he was in. Keith dedicated his life to the advancement of LGBT rights, human rights and his passion for music. The struggle for LGBT rights is a difficult struggle and in many instances in the history of GALZ Keith stood gallantly in the frontline. He dared where most men would not go.

Keith Goddard was arrested multiple times and beaten by police. He endured smear campaigns and harassment. But he persisted, lived to see some changes, and worked hard to secure more. An August 2009 article in the Guardian, headlined "Gay rights campaigners in Zimbabwe see chance to push for equality," describes the push to include a prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation in the new Zimbabwe constitution. "I think we've got a 50:50 chance," Goddard is quoted as saying. "We live in hope."

End of the Revolution: RIP Norman Borlaug

Nobel Peace Laureate.
Presidental Medal of Freedom winner.
Congressional Gold Medal winner.
National Medal of Science winner.
Father of the Green Revolution.
Creator of the World Food Prize.
The life of Dr. Norman Borlaug (left), who died this weekend at age 95, lent itself to superlatives. Depending on whom you ask, he is either the man who saved a billion lives or the man who unleashed the violence of unsustainable agriculture on the developing world.
Neither caricature does justice to this complex and brilliant man.
Borlaug was an agronomist and microbiologist. His primary claim to fame was his work developing 'the 'semi-dwarf'' plant variety -- plants that had a shorter, more compact stalk that could support a larger head of grain without falling over from the weight. The varieties he developed doubled, and sometimes quadrupled yields. Hence, the "father of the green revolution" moniker.
It is hard to imagine what kind of world we would have today without Borlaug’s pioneering work. Borlaug's high-yielding varieties or their progeny are currently grown on 200 million acres worldwide. Without them, food production might well have lagged far behind a burgeoning global population. (photo credit: the World Food Prize)
To be clear, his work did not usher in a utopia of food security. The problem of inequitable distribution remains as daunting as it ever was. Nevertheless, the Nobel Committee was surely justified when it declared:

'More than any other single person of this age, he has helped provide bread for a hungry world.'

Borlaug’s disease-resistant varieties helped Mexico become self-sufficient in grain. His varieties were then exported to India and Pakistan, where yields doubled. The technology spread to Africa (where it had significantly less success), to the Middle East, and to Latin America. In the process Borlaug built the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, (CIMMYT) into one of the world’s most important research centers. Now almost 50 years old, CIMMYT remains a key international agricultural research and training institute under the auspices of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research . (photo credit: The Borlaug Institute)
The fairy-tale version of the Green Revolution and of Dr. Borlaug’s work ends here, with the good doctor riding off with his well-deserved 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.
Unfortunately, not everyone lived happily ever after.
The newly developed higher-yielding varieties required tremendous fertilizer and pesticide inputs, and these generated dramatic social and environmental consequences. Fifty years later, we are still coping with that part of Borlaug’s legacy. Overuse of fertilizer has created vast dead zones in aquatic ecosystems. Pesticides routinely poison land, water and people. And, because poorer farmers could not afford the critical inputs, the spread of high-yielding varieties pushed the most marginal of farmers into an even more precarious situation. Borlaug typically dismissed these critiques as the murmurings of the "elite." In his later years, he was a passionate advocate for "the gene revolution," which he saw as the natural successor to the Green Revolution.
Perhaps Dr. Borlaug's death might be a moment for bridging divide in the agricultural world over how best to end hunger. Instead, surely we can all agree that Dr. Borlaug was right when he said:

'[T]he first essential component for social justice is adequate food for all mankind.'

In Passing: The Human Rights Senator

Upon the passing of U.S. Senator Edward Moore Kennedy (1932-2009) we reflect on his enormous impact on the United States and beyond (above, photo credit). This timeline from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library website lists just a few of the thousands of pieces of key legislation on which Senator Kennedy was a key actor.
Making Human Rights Real
The Senator’s work embodied a commitment to international and domestic human rights. And its reach exemplified the ideal expressed in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action on Human Rights: “All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated.”
It is difficult to name an issue of fundamental human rights with which the Senator was NOT involved. The range includes civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights:
►Equality Rights and Civil Rights (voting rights and legislation prohibiting discrimination against racial minorities, immigrants, girls and women, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered persons, and persons with disabilities).
►Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (including access to education, food, housing, fair wages and working conditions, substantive rights for people with disabilities, reproductive rights, major steps on the path to health care for all, support for the arts, and equal participation in sport).
His foreign policy influence was felt everywhere from South Africa to Haiti, from Ireland to the former Soviet Union.
Memories…
Many of us spent the past few days (indeed, the 14 months since learning of his final illness) sharing personal stories about the Senator. I’m glad that he got to hear many of those stories himself and to bask in the standing-room-only crowds at the many award ceremonies over the past year. I'm glad he made it to the presidential inauguration. His final appearances, including to make legislative votes, were a demonstration of courage, selflessness, and will beyond belief. And I am glad to know that his surviving family is witnessing, and comforted by, the outpouring of appreciation and personal and public reflection on the incredible impact he, and his recently departed sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921-2009) (right, photo credit), had on the world.
A legacy of wealth, celebrity, and political power is one thing. But it is less common for the powerful to leave the world better than they found it. Both siblings, born to a life of privilege and influence as well as personal tragedy, used those experiences for the benefit of others.
They joined and supported the struggles of human rights advocates. They galvanized others to help make social change longer lasting through legislation and through social movements in which millions continue to participate.
Many among those less famous millions who struggle for change leave the world without media recognition; we need to honor and treasure those legacies as well. But what has been so poignant and obvious about the passing of this brother and sister is the sense that they need not have done what they did for others. Yet they believed it was important to do what they could.
A Personal Touch
The lovely, unpretentious wake/celebration for the Senator at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library last night was full of moving and hilarious memories and stories. The powerful and famous from a variety of political leanings told of personal encounters with the senator. They talked about key legislation and the need for comprehensive health care and immigration reform to proceed of course. They also focused on what so many now know—he had a genuine gift for an authentic personal touch.
The phone calls to hospital bedsides, the visits to colleagues who had lost family members, the loyalty to trusted friends, and the basic respect and human decency he showed on a personal level even to tough political opponents.
Even more moving have been the stories from “the common people.” Thousands stood in line, or sat in wheelchairs, to attend the viewing at the Kennedy Library, but more than celebrity or a chance to touch history was at work. Many expressed the desire to say a personal “thank you.” Families of soldiers killed in war who received not only condolences, but legislative action to provide better defensive equipment or an end to war. The students in literacy classes and anti-poverty programs with whom he worked directly and who are now attending college. People with disabilities whose full participation in society was further enabled. People of color who worked with him to end discrimination in voting, housing, employment, and education. Girls and women who fulfilled their dreams of becoming athletes. Immigrants and refugees who escaped political or economic oppression at home. Family members who could take leave to care for the sick with less fear of losing their jobs.
Massachusetts has no shortage of hands-on politicians. It was Tip O’Neill who said that “all politics is local,” after all. But the actual ability to have such broad and deep local and global impact is all too rare a gift. Memories, Inspiring…
So I find myself compelled to share my own small, “brush with Kennedy” stories. More than twenty years ago I was a young lawyer at TransAfrica Forum, the research and educational arm of TransAfrica, the African-American lobby on U.S. foreign policy toward Africa and the Caribbean. Back then, the organization had a total of maybe 8 staff (led by the great Randall Robinson, our executive director). We worked from a small storefront office in southeast Washington, DC, and believed we could change the world.
Staffers who worked on or near Capitol Hill often referred to DC power elites in hushed tones—“the Congressman,” “the Senator,” “the Chairman,” “the White House.” Congressional staffers were often judged by their supervisor's prestige or reputation as well as by their own merits.
Needless to say, “the Senator’s” staff was legendary; a call from Senator Kennedy’s office was a game-changer in most venues—it still is today. It was also clear that the staff who worked there were talented in their own right and serious about the Senator's agenda.
That is why Senator Kennedy’s support for the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was so important. Passed over the veto of then President Ronald Reagan, that Act helped show substantive solidarity with the struggles of millions of Black South Africans for democracy, human rights, and an end to the horrendous system of apartheid.
One of the most memorable moments of my career, therefore, was watching the final votes to override the veto from the Senate gallery. Senator Kennedy’s office had sent passes for us TransAfrica staffers to do so.
Some hours after we celebrated the vote (and began thinking about next steps), I found myself the last one to leave the TransAfrica office. The phones had been ringing off the hook and the overworked receptionist had finally called it a day.
As I headed home, the phone rang again. It was the Senator himself, calling to speak with Randall Robinson.
I somehow managed to find my voice, telling him (he had, quite unnecessarily, introduced himself as “Ted Kennedy”) that Randall was gone for the day. The Senator said “Thanks. Well, please be sure to tell Randall that I called personally to congratulate him.”) Well. After thanking him for introducing and supporting the legislation, I got off the phone, tracked Randall down, and then started calling family and friends to tell them that I had just “spoken with the Senator”!
At the time, that would have been exciting enough for me, but the Senator also showed up at our small office a few days later to personally shake hands with staffmembers. Each of us had that dazed, star-struck look in our eyes (some had grown up with pictures of Martin Luther King, Jr., President John F. Kennedy, Jr., and Senator Robert Kennedy on our walls). But he did his best to make us feel as if we had done a little bit to help change the world.
…and the Hilarious
The second story is more along the lines of the absurdly funny (to me, anyway). Perhaps a couple of years later, a good friend and I wanted to see the prize-winning August Wilson play, The Piano Lesson, then in its first run at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Driving by one evening, we decided to pick up some hard-to-get tickets. We noticed a surprisingly large number of stretch limos and motorcycle police outside when we pulled up. Still, we just needed to pick up a few tickets, what could it hurt to go inside?
Wearing what President Nixon might have described as “good Republican cloth coats” (in fact, we were good Democrats) and casual clothes, we followed a small woman wearing a rather large fur coat through the glass doors. Lining both sides of a very long red carpet inside were crowds of photographers and people in evening wear. We still did not quite “get it.”
As we made our way up the red carpet, a mystified-looking usher gestured us toward the main hall. We asked him where we could get tickets to the Piano Lesson. Even more mystified, he told us that the box office was closed for the evening. At that moment, we both turned and saw Senator Kennedy near us greeting people who were standing behind the rope barriers. Horrified, we blurted out simultaneously, “it’s the Kennedy Center Honors!” That event is a star-studded annual gala at which the Center honors performers for their contributions to the arts.
Mortified, we shrank back against the ropes so as to avoid drawing further attention to ourselves. The tuxedo crowd behind us literally pushed us back onto the red carpet, complaining that we were blocking their chance to meet the Senator. They were there first. Who were these under-dressed interlopers?

By then, the Senator reached me, smiled quizzically (either because my face was vaguely familiar from the TransAfrica event, or because we looked so obviously disconcerted), shook our hands, and moved on.
In shock, we then tried to make our escape back down the red carpet. But not before getting caught up in a photo session with Harry Belafonte (an honoree that night) and his entourage near the door. We smiled for the cameras and pretended to be long-lost Belafonte cousins….
The latter is not a politically, socially, or economically significant story. But I think of it when I think of the Senator; it always makes me smile. The fact that I remember it more than 20 years later is significant. It says something about the esteem and yes, awe, with which people of certain generations hold that family. In the end, however, it was the power to inspire others that mattered most.
Our heartfelt condolences to the Kennedy family and to the people whose lives were changed for the better by the Human Rights Senator and by his tireless advocate of a sister. Peace.

In passing: Corazon Aquino

(In passing marks the memory of a person featured in IntLawGrrls) In Manila yesterday, Corazon Aquino died from cancer at age 76. Noting her role in a milestone event on February 25, 1986, we posted a while back:

Corazon Aquino (left) was sworn in as the 1st woman President of the Philippines. The move culminated what was called the People Power Revolution, which sent into Hawaiian exile longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He'd threatened to stage a ceremony swearing himself back into power; he changed course, however, after the United States withdrew its support of him. Aquino, who had entered politics after the 1983 killing of her husband Benigno, a dissident leader, held office until 1992.

The tenure of Asia's 1st woman President was difficult, as detailed in her obituary -- not in the least because of the 6 coup attempts she withstood in as many years. Nonetheless, the person who posted this video clip of her swearing-in called it among "proudest moments in Philippine history." Also worth a look: this video clip of her calling for Marcos' resignation. For her role in returning democracy to the Philippines -- a country that had been subjected to Marcos' dictatorial rule for 2 decades -- she will not soon be forgotten.

In passing: Susan B. Jordan

A leader of California's criminal defense bar, Susan B. Jordan, died Friday in a plane crash in Utah. The 67-year-old attorney and another pilot were flying in a single-engine aircraft.

A Chicago native who received her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law in 1970 after she'd aided the '60s civil rights movement by registering voters in Mississippi, Susan (left) opened a practice in San Francisco. Among her early landmark cases was the murder trial of Inez Garcia, whom jurors found had acted in self-defense when she killed a man who'd raped her. Other clients included 2 Symbionese Liberation Army members: Emily Harris, charged in 1978 with kidnapping newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst; and Kathleen Soliah aka Sara Jane Olson, accused of conspiring to kill Los Angeles police officers.

As duly noted on her own website, Susan created the battered spouse defense.

Susan's role as a leader and role model in her profession was evident when, while still a practitioner, I served with her and other topnotch criminal defense attorneys in the Bay Area bar association Women Defenders.

In passing: Thomas Franck

Renowned international jurist Thomas Franck (left) passed away Wednesday after a struggle against cancer.
Others surely will recount Tom's lifework, already noted at the websites of New York University School of Law, where he was Murry and Ida Becker Professor of Law Emeritus, and the American Society of International Law, for which he served both as President and as Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of International Law. (photo credit) Permit me to sound a more personal note.
I first was introduced to Tom in February 2004, when I had the privilege of commenting, along with several others, on a paper regarding the use of force that he gave at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, in San Francisco. Tom was visiting at Hastings that semester, and so a week or two later we met for lunch. Topics of our most enjoyable conversation ranged from the war in Iraq then just a year old, to the round-the-clock marriage ceremonies then under way across the street at City Hall, to the fondness we two North Americans shared for the land and people of Ireland.
In the 5 years since, I welcomed the all-too-few opportunities I had to visit with Tom. A warm person, supportive mentor, and inspiring colleague, he will be missed.

In passing: Venetia Burney Phair

(In passing marks the memory of a person featured in IntLawGrrls)

Venetia Burney Phair died on April 30 at age 90 at home in Epsom, south of London, England. As we've posted, she made her mark 8 decades earlier, when as a schoolgirl she suggested that a newly discovered planet be named Pluto. As depicted in the 2008 short film, Naming Pluto (video of trailer below), 11-year-old mythology buff Venetia (left) made the suggestion to her grandfather, an Oxford librarian, who relayed the idea to an Oxford astronomer. The rest is history. Pluto's ignominious 2006 reclassification as a "dwarf planet" by no means dims her celestial achievement. As stated by London's Telegraph, she "had the distinction of being the only woman in the world to have named a planet."

In passing: Fumiko Saiga

(In passing marks the memory of a person featured in IntLawGrrls)

Fumiko Saiga (left) passed away yesterday following a brief illness. Saiga, a Judge of the International Criminal Court and member of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Committee, was 65 years old.

She'd been elected to the Court in 2007, as IntLawGrrls noted last fall. Her prior career had been in Japan's foreign ministry, where she served as ambassador to Norway and Ireland, and as ambassador in charge of human rights issues such as violence against women. The last appointment recognized her efforts on behalf of women's rights: among other achievements in this regard, Saiga had spearheaded Japan's 1985 ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and had served on the CEDAW Committee for much of this past decade.

Earlier this year Saiga was re-elected to the ICC. She'd been serving in Pre-Trial Chamber II and Trial Chamber II. In a release ICC President Sang-Hyun Song said of his colleague:

'Judge Saiga’s death is an enormous loss to the Court. Her sharp legal acumen and dedication to impartial justice, coupled with her balance and grace, made her an eminently capable jurist.'

In Passing: Virginia Leary

Virginia Leary
August 15, 1926 – April 8, 2009

Yesterday, Virginia Leary died suddenly of a heart attack in Geneva, Switzerland, where she had lived for a number of years since her retirement. She grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she also attended the University of Utah. Her legal education and career in human rights are covered in this post which describes the Goler T. Butcher Medal she received for her outstanding contribution to human rights. She was awarded the Medal at the American Society of International Law at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. in April 2008. Professor Leary was a prolific scholar on a broad range of issues, including labor law, workers’ rights, the right to health, child labor issues, and international trade and human rights.
In addition to her outstanding professional career, Professor Leary was an exceptional human being. Her wit and good humor made her friends wherever she went. Her students became her close friends. Following are comments and condolences written shortly after the announcement of her death. She touched both her long term friends as well as recent acquaintances, including seven Frank C. Newman Interns who were representing Human Rights Advocates at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in March. Professor Leary sat on the Human Rights Advocates International Advisory Board for many years, and played a similar leadership role in a number of other groups.

What a wonderful shining inspiration Virginia has been to me across the years.
-Janelle Diller

So many of us have such fond memories of Virginia throughout the years that each of us has known her. I still even remember when Virginia was working on her doctorate when I met her decades ago in Geneva! She had such well-organized index cards!! Boy, does that date us!!!! Anyway, I am happy that there will be a memorial service out here at some point and that we can all share remembrances of this wonderful woman who graced our lives. Sadly,
-Julianne Traylor

I was very sorry to hear that Virginia Leary passed away. She was a wonderful human being.
-David Weissbrodt

Je suis peinée du départ de Virginia. Elle me laisse le souvenir d'une personne qui a joyeusement contribuer jusqu'à la fin à diverses initiatives de justice sociale.
(I am pained by Virginia's passing. She leaves with me the memory of a person who contributed joyously until the end to a variety of social justice initiatives.)
-Gaëtane Gascon

Merci pour ce message bien triste du dépàrt de Virginia. Je crois qu'elle est dans la Paix pour toujours.

(Thanks for this very sad message of Virginia’s passing. I believe that she is in Peace forever.)
-Fina Bijnens

I am so sorry to hear about Virginia. She was such a vivacious and spirited woman. I'm so thankful that we had the opportunity to meet her.
-Amanda Solter

Oh I'm so very sorry. She was such a very special woman and truly touched me. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to meet her.

My deepest sympathies,
Marie Montesano

I am so sorry to hear about the passing of Virginia . She is on my prayers and also I have very vivid the wonderful moments that we shared with her in Geneva and her incredible energy.
Regards,
Laura Rivera

I am so sorry to hear this. She made an incredible impression upon all of us in just the few times that we were able to see her in Geneva. She seemed to be such a vibrant woman. My deepest sympathies go out to her friends and family.

-Alex Tuzin

I am saddened to hear today about the loss of Virginia Leary. In the short few times that I had the pleasure of meeting her, I was impacted by her strength, humor, kindness and spirit. She was a true character, in the grandest sense of the word. I'm reminded of a quote: "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter ". If that's the standard, I'm sure Virginia didn't waste a minute.

-Amol Mehra

She was such an amazing woman, I can't believe she's gone. She was so sharp, and her wit sharper. My best to her family, the short time we knew her was enough to admire the strong, intelligent, independent woman she was. Goodbye Virginia. You will be sorely missed.
-Leslie Bennett

Very very sorry to hear, and yes absolutely how lucky we are to have known her.
-Sofia Gruskin

Such a wonderful amazing inspiring caring person. She leaves a world changed by her good work, and countless numbers of us nourished by having worked with her.
-Stephanie Farrior

A great sadness indeed - but what a life well lived! What impact, strength, intellect, and warmth.
-Sandra Coliver

She had a wonderful, long and rich life-- she was someone I truly believed would always be there. It's a lesson in not taking anyone's life for granted any more.
-Jane Rocamora

Indeed, so here's to speaking of Virginia's good life as a way to build a long and vibrant and diverse community that enables us all to continue.
-Ali Miller

I could not have said it better myself!

In passing: Mildred Loving

(In passing: marks the memory of a person profiled by IntLawGrrls)

Mildred Loving, 68, died from pneumonia last week at her home in Central Point, Virginia.

As we posted here, the woman born Mildred Jeter and the next-door neighbor she'd married in Washington, D.C., in 1958, Richard Loving, were convicted of violating a Virginia statute that made interracial marriage a crime. The couple (left) contested their convictions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which held unanimously in Loving v. Virginia (1967) that the statute violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. ABC's coverage last year of the 40th anniversary of the decision included this superb, circa-1967 ABC video on the case (link's at bottom of page, below "More Coverage" subtitle) including interviews with Mildred and Richard Loving. Still more here and here.

In passing: Elizabeth P. Hoisington

Marking the passing of a woman profiled by IntLawGrrls:

Elizabeth P. Hoisington died at age 88 last month in Springfield, Virginia. As noted here, in 1970 Hoisington, director of the Women's Army Corps since 1966, became, along with Anna Mae Hays, 1 of the 1st 2 women to be made brigadier generals in the U.S. Army. The public response underscores the scarcity of women leaders not so long ago:

Their promotions were a public relations coup for the Army. A photograph of Gen. William Westmoreland, the Army chief of staff, kissing Hoisington at the ceremony was featured in newspapers and in the World Book encyclopedia. She and Hays appeared on the Dick Cavett, David Frost and 'Today' shows, and Hoisington -- who possessed a bright smile and an outgoing personality -- was a guest on the popular game show 'What's My Line?'