RIP Harper Lee

From my inbox:


Harper Lee died today.

Her brilliant portrayal of one man’s stand against racial injustice in the Deep South helped inspire me, and many others, to become a civil rights lawyer.

And her depiction of a great evil in America moved millions of others to fight for justice at a crucial time in our nation’s history.

One of my most cherished possessions is an autographed copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. This was her generous inscription:
Morris,

You will be remembered as the one who spoke when good men remained silent, and the one who acted when good men did nothing – you changed our lives.

Harper Lee
My colleagues and I have done our best to live up to her expectations. But we all owe a great debt to Ms. Lee.

I think she would agree that, today, there is still so much more work to be done. We must continue to search within ourselves for the courage to stand strong in the face of bigotry and injustice.

Thank you for standing with us, and please remember Ms. Lee in your thoughts.
Sincerely,


Morris Dees
Founder, Southern Poverty Law Center

She had a huge impact on my life.

2seaoat wrote:She had a huge impact on my life.

Mine, too, Seaoat. She pulled off the scab, so to speak.

I saw my loved ones in Alabama filled with so much hate, and I saw a path to sanity. It set my life's goal. Justice is not easy. It is hard and it takes incredible courage to make change.

I loved the compassion and reality of Scout. Many say Ms. Lee wrote of herself in Scout. But then I saw this cartoon from Bloom County and changed my mind.