What a bright light she was, Emma Shafer, the 24-year-old activist and community organizer who was the victim of a homicide in Springfield this week. In the two years since she graduated with a degree in urban studies from The New School in New York City, Emma has been applying her education and energy to her hometown of Springfield where, unlike many college grads, she vowed to stay. One of her many causes was energy reform; in an email Saturday she notified me of a public forum on the controversial CO2 pipeline 5 p.m. July 17 at the BOS Center lower level: “The more folks in seats we have, the better our luck fares,” she wrote. Her signature line included this quotation from the late writer and feminist Audre Lorde: “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Fletcher Farrar, editor
This article appears in Revitalizing Robin Roberts Stadium.
