Dear Colleen:
Terribly sorry to hear the news. Jimmy was a fine human being whom I admired and respected deeply. He was a fighter for social justice, like everyone else in his family. That he only survived your dad by two years is unbelievable.
I have forwarded your message to Robin . . . . I’m sure she will be as shocked as I am although I did know about his illness (found out about it at the memorial service for your mom). As you say, the pain has gone away for Jim although our own pain is only beginning.
Death of a loved one is never easy but it’s up to you to carry on the Eldridge family’s activist tradition now, along with Jimmy’s children. Teach your children well and let that be part of our legacy (the Berkeley generation of the Sixties) so that the world one day will come to understand who held on best to deeply cherished democratic and working class traditions when times were tough.
Let us pass on our knowledge and experiences to the next generation that they in turn may carry forward the struggle to make America a land of equality and justice for all. In Jimmy’s memory, I wish you all the best.
With love,
Roger
