I am not resigned

I finished another great book today called “Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned City” by Billy Sothern. I bought it on a whim in the little bookshop on Maple Street. The author was doing a book signing there and I couldn’t very well NOT buy his book.
Well, surprise surprise, I loved it.
He’s an attorney for people on death row, and and he had such interesting views from the front lines of the poor and disenfranchised. With George teaching in the Business School, I’m surrounded by people who shout loudly about free market, less government, and the un-compassionate attitude that it is every-man-for-himself in this dog-eat-dog world. It resonated deeply with me to read Sothern’s view: that we should live in a society of compassion where decisions are made for the common good with the goal of protecting the poor and vulnerable, children and the elderly.
New Orleans is such a unique city with a unique set of social justice issues. Mr. Sothern speaks of these issues in a profound and eloquent way. His writing really made me think about my own beliefs and viewpoints, as his are similar to mine.
He writes about the horrible murder last year of Helen Hill, a murder which had a profound affect on me and the citizens of New Orleans. Helen was a mother to a 2-year-old and a peaceful vegan artist. Her husband was a Harvard-educated Dr. who chose to work in the poorest part of New Orleans. After Katrina, they almost didn’t return to the city, but Helen insisted they needed to return to be part of the re-building of this beloved city. She was shot in the head while she slept next to her husband and son one morning at 6 am. Her husband grabbed the 2-year-old and ran for the door and was shot 3 times in the back with his son in his arms. The husband and son survived. The murderer was never caught. Because of the innocence of this family (no drug or crime connection) and the randomness of the crime, the city of New Orleans was outraged. Thousands of people marched on City Hall demanding an end to the violence. I marched with my friend, Sally, pushing Annabelle in her stroller. I didn’t know Helen, but I was on the Board of the preschool her son attended. We marched in the little boys name. Every person I talked to was deeply affected by Helen’s tragedy. I was devastated that something so horrible could happen, and I was terrified for my own family’s safety.
We are all here trying to rebuild this magnificent city, trying to make it what it could be–safe. The poverty, the disregard and disdain for the disenfranchised, the lack of quality of public education in this city, all contribute to the crime. The violent horrendous crime, usually committed by teenagers, children themselves.
Mr. Sothern was a patient of Helen’s husband and writes a line of a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay: “I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground…”
I am not resigned either. I shall continue to love, to hold my heart and hands open, giving freely, because that is who I am. And that is my responsibility. But it’s hard to keep one’s heart open when it feels so fragile and vulnerable.