1/16/2023 0 Comments Tommy raskin harvard law school![]() And we are left wondering whether the work that we are doing can really be called important if the world that we inhabit is so patently lawless. It was horrifying to witness, and more horrifying to have to face the reality that graduates of our institution are in some measure responsible for what happened. Wednesday’s events struck at the core of what binds us together as a community. And those in power cannot simply sweep it aside the moment it ceases to serve their interests. It can be used to moderate humanity’s worst impulses. If there is one thing that binds us all together at HLS, it is this: a belief that the law, however intangible and abstract a notion it might be, can have a real effect in our world. Be a source of warmth for your peers wherever possible in these dark times – just as Tommy was for those who knew him.Īnd just as we struggled to come to terms with this painful event, we have also had to bear witness to a heinous assault on our republic and our system of laws. Do not hesitate to seek support if you are struggling. Consider doing one small act of compassion in Tommy’s honor. His presence at HLS made it a brighter, warmer place, and his loss is excruciatingly hard to bear. Though we may not be able to grieve together in person, we can still be there for each other. He was kind, passionate, and a constant source of joy for those who were lucky enough to know him. Tommy Raskin was the kind of person who exemplified all the best components of our community and everything that one could aspire to be. The loss of one of our own has left our community reeling. And while it may seem that our community, scattered across the world and unable to support each other in person, has been rendered more frail by the events of the past year, we hope that the shared experience of persisting through this trying period may be something that in the end unites us.įor rarely has it been more important to come together than at a time like this. ![]() ![]() To those who did so in the face of family responsibilities or personal tragedy, we would like to express our awe. To those who persisted through these tough times, we would like to express our admiration. The simple act of tuning in to class and completing the work may feel small, but it took tremendous strength to stick it out each and every day. And yet, it was also one in which our community demonstrated a great deal of strength. It was one that few will look back on with much fondness. It was, to be sure, a lonely and grueling period for most of us. While any semester at our school is bound to be arduous, this past semester may have been one of the most trying that our community has faced. The first week of winter term is in the books, and we would like to welcome everyone back from what we hope was a refreshing and restful break. I found Noelle and Billy’s words meaningful, and I hope you do too. ![]() As we all reflect on the first days of 2021, I wanted to share a message from our student body co-presidents to the HLS community. But it has been hard to do so in the past week. ![]() Tommy Raskin graduated from Amherst College and was a student at Harvard Law School when he died.With the turn of the calendar to January, we often wish one another a happy new year. The post noted Tommy Raskin’s many interests and volunteer gigs, including teaching Sunday school at Temple Emanuel in Chevy Chase, a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., and at J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group. “He ordered and devoured books on the Civil War and Maryland’s history in it, World War II and resistance to Nazism, Jewish history, libertarianism, moral philosophy, the history of the Middle East conflict, peace movements, anything by Gar Alperovitz on the decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and anything by Peter Singer on animal rights.” “Tommy grew up as a strikingly beautiful curly-haired madcap boy beaming with laughter and charm, making mischief, kicking the soccer ball in the goal, acting out scenes from To Kill A Mockingbird with his little sister in his father’s constitutional law class, teaching other children the names of all the Justices on the Supreme Court, hugging strangers on the street, teaching our dogs foreign languages, running up and down the aisle on airplanes giving people high fives, playing jazz piano like a blues great from Bourbon Street, and at 12 writing a detailed brief to his mother explaining why he should not have to do a Bar Mitzvah and citing Due Process liberty interests (appeal rejected),” the post said. ![]()
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