We received the following email last week from the family of an RFC beneficiary:

“Emma [pseudonym] received a grant this cycle [for summer camp] and while I plan to get around to a formal thank you note I wanted to drop you a message while the thought was in my mind.

Yesterday I asked Emma how she was doing with her worries (worries are the legacy of the FBI raids last [fall]). She said, ‘My worries are fine, camp … makes me forget all about them. Thank you, for helping Emma leave her worries behind for awhile.”

Many readers of this blog are already RFC supporters who do not have to be convinced of the value of our work. I’m sure most of you expect that there are right-wingers who attack what we do, but perhaps you’d be startled to learn that not all on the Left approve of our project. Over the years I’ve received a number of letters and comments relayed by others to the effect that the Rosenberg Fund for Children isn’t worth supporting because it is a “feel good” project that “isn’t political enough.” They ask why precious progressive dollars should be used to pay for piano lessons for some kid regardless of the attacks the child’s family has endured because of the parents’ activism.

I believe such sentiments ignore the human element behind activism. Bringing about a more equitable and just world is about more than pursuing an abstraction. In many cases parents’ efforts to change society springs from their desire to make a better world for their children. The RFC’s support demonstrates that thousands stand behind them and also care about their children.

There is also long-term strategic value to aiding the children of those under attack because they’ve worked to build a better world for us all. If it will take generations to bring about the society we envision, helping targeted activist youth and the children of targeted activists, and channeling our funds whenever possible through progressive providers, is a necessary investment in progressive infrastructure and future activism. That is not, however, my main point here. Regardless of strategic considerations, providing such aid manifests our deeply felt beliefs at a gut level. We care about others. We understand that helping a child who has suffered because of repression is a tangible act that is a concrete expression of our belief system.

Many of those involved in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s talked about a “beloved community.” It was comprised of all those actively engaged in the struggle and all those who supported them. That movement sought to protect all members of the beloved community to the best of its ability. We, at the RFC, embrace and expand upon that notion to include all progressive activists and their families. We don’t view this as feel-good sentimentalism; instead we view such cooperative community action as the core of our politics.

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