WCL Raskin Book

For nearly two decades I dreamed of becoming a U.S. citizen. By the time I finally got to take the Oath of Allegiance, Donald Trump was President. Everyone I knew asked why on earth I wanted to become a citizen when this was the state of America. I replied that a Trump Presidency made it more important than ever to gain the rights of citizenship – to be able to protest, clearly and repeatedly, to show my American-born childrenthe responsibility that comeswiththeprivilege of living in a democracy. Clearly and repeatedly, because Black LivesMatter. But by the time we reached January 6, 2021, my faith in the power of the American experiment waivered. “This cannot be the future of America,” you said, standing inside the very building the insurgents attacked. Jamie – from the core of my being – thank you. I join others in the WCL community and around the country in gratitude for your wholehearted

defense of the ideals this country is striving, failing, and striving again to fulfil. And, I am further grateful for the way you have done it in the midst a grief that few of us can begin to imagine. As the child of a parent who continues to battle “a disease called depression,” the dark reality of this illness, and the pain of watching someone you love do battle with it, is all too real. And despite some progress, people without intimate exposure to this disease continue to minimize its impact, further solidifying the stigma associated with it. For those of us with even a small glimpse into the way depression can decimate the lives of those we care about, it was hugely meaningful to hear you speak so openly about what led Tommy to take his own life. I will do my utmost to help carry forward his legacy of radical empathy and love. Rebecca Hamilton