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Power Legal Pro: Heather Heyer
Tomorrow is Heather Heyer’s birthday. She was born May 29, 1985, and would have been 33 years old but was killed tragically August 12, 2017, by a violent protester while she counter-protested at the Charlottesville White Nationalist Rally.
When I heard about this tragedy last year I was heartbroken. I didn’t even believe it. I thought someone had exaggerated the news. But no, this was no exaggeration.
The protests had actually turned deadly right here and now in the United State of America. A life had actually been taken in this day and age at an anti-White Nationalist protest.
She Died Fighting For What She Believed In, She Lived A Paralegal
I prayed for the poor woman’s soul. I had no idea at the time I was praying for a fellow paralegal. A bankruptcy paralegal at that. Who also worked part-time as a waitress. The more I learned about Heather Heyer, the more I could empathize with her.
It has been reported that, like most paralegals, her social media accounts were peppered with messages of equality. By all accounts she held the heart and spirit of a Power Legal Pro and that commitment to justice is what led her to counter-protest last year at the White Nationalist Rally.
ACLU Helped The White Nationalist Group Fight For Their Right to Rally
Since this tragedy the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been criticized for providing legal assistance to the rally organizers in their attempt to gain a permit for the rally.
I remember reading about the controversy prior to the rally and initially being surprised, then angry, then proud of the ACLU for remaining true to their mission despite having to take such an unpopular stance. I did not agree with their clients but I did agree with their client’s right, and all of our right, to rally. Free speech. That’s the ACLU’s whole thing right?
We Have Made Improvements, Right?
In one discussion I told my partner that I felt it a marker of success for the civil rights movement when these supremacists groups cannot afford their own representation. There was a time when these organizations themselves were extremely wealthy and would never need to call on the ACLU for help defending their rights.
But now, thanks to the efforts of organizations like the Southern Law Poverty Center, and attorneys like the esteemed Morris Dees, they eventually had to turn their headquarters over to the family of 19-year-old Michael Donald who had been brutally killed by the KKK in 1981. So let’s look at how far we have come.
The Legal Profession Understands Rights, Right??
Considering Heather was a paralegal, I just assumed she would have probably understood the ACLU’s position to defend our First Amendment rights. But then I learned that a considerable amount of ACLU employees wrote a letter to their leadership expressing their discontent for representing the white supremacists while reinforcing their commitment to civil liberties and rights.
That reminded me that not everyone in the legal field has the same hard-nosed stance on our constitutional rights and liberties as I do. Then I immediately had to realize that I too would never be proud to work for an organization that is helping White Nationalists in any way.
I mean, I have known a lot of legal professionals with a yearning to work for the ACLU and none of us ever imagined helping White Nationalists as part of that dream.
What Are They Really Fighting For?
Then the ACLU responded and will no longer represent white supremacist groups who demonstrate with guns. Their response reminded me that it wasn’t just about constitutional rights and liberties.
It was about intimidation.
It was about mob mentality.
It was about harm.
And ultimately that is what is caused. Great harm.
My perspective shifted from look how far we have come to look at the long road ahead.
Sometimes from an intention to uphold the law and equality we end up being very, very unfair. I now firmly believe that the law should never, ever, ever be used to advance a message of hate in any way.
That the law is provided to create a more equitable society. A group of people should not be allowed to rally to promote a message of hate. That is not equitable.
While I have no intention on silencing anyone. I am no longer naive to the ways our laws have been used to not only advance a message of hate but to maintain the inequalities that are in place.
But I had to really dig deep to understand that I always have more to learn and must always dig deeper. That we must always look at things through a racial equity lens. That is equitable.
What Am I Really Fighting For?
So I guess it is easy to say that Heather Heyer’s life and death caused me to feel a whole gamete of emotions. I feel like she forced me to learn more about who I am and what I stand for.
Today Heather Heyer’s mother continues to fight the good fight using the money that was donated to her GoFundMe page to give scholarships to students seeking careers in social justice.
Heather’s old law firm has even made room for Heather’s mom and given her her own office to handle the day-to-day operations that go along with the social movement that was born when Heather was killed.
Paralegal Power
While many paralegals work in the background, our commitment to jurisprudence is often played out in the forefront of our lives. I hope Heather Heyer’s legacy does include the fact that she was a legal professional who cared about the community in which she worked and that she made a mark on one of the legal field’s most coveted organizations in a way that will continue to advance civil liberties for all.
Heather Heyer is our first Power Legal Pro because of her bravery, compassion and ardent willingness to continue advocating for social justice when she wasn’t billing time. If you possess these powers, consider joining our Paralegal Power Facebook Group.
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About the Author
Valentina Zapata Harris
Mother | Advocate | Blogger