WCL Raskin Book

Representative Raskin, I am writing at the instruction of one of your smaller constituents, my three-year-old daughter Alexandra. My husband and I have struggled to explain current events in terms that make sense to our very verbal preschooler; her innate sense of fairness, and her hard-won understanding of turn-taking, have left her incensed at President Trump’s failure to concede the election. Alex dictated the attached letter last night after dinner and made me promise to send it to you, as she has been relieved to hear that we have representatives who are enforcing rules that she understands to be the bedrock of fair play. (She keeps asking why “Mr. Donald won’t just tell Mr. Joe that it was a good game and Mr. Donald will win next time,” which she knows is what you’re supposed to say when you lose a board game.) Please accept her letter with her parents’ deep gratitude for all of your hard work in turning the madness of this year into something that we can explain to our preschooler consistent with the values she is learning as a tiny member of society.

In addition to serving as Alexandra’s mother, I am also currently working at AUWCL as Senior Assistant Dean. Bob Dinerstein, Susan Carle, Amy Tenney, and Hilary Lappinhavetoldmanystoriesofyouryearsof collaboration and I hope you know how much respect, admiration, and affection your colleagues still have for you. This group has also told tales of watching Tommy grow up around the law school (and, I gather, decorate EliotMilstein’s dining room walls during one Pesach sedar?), and my heart goes out to you and your family for your loss. There is a history of mental illness in my family and I am touched by the way you have addressed Tommy’s disease with raw honesty. We are holding your family close, even if we are doing it from far away. Thank you for all of your service and for serving as a beacon for what public service can be. We appreciate all that you have done and all that you have given. To brighter days ahead, Ann Chernicoff (and Alex Perles)