"She was so empathetic, generous, humble and her leadership was so subtle, so loving, so free of ego that it almost defied the usual ways leadership is defined in our society," said Alyshia Galvez, a professor at the New School in New York City, where Emma Shafer earned a bachelor's degree in urban studies.
Emma's death was felt deeply in our community. For those who knew her well, it was unfathomable that someone so vibrant with life could be taken so quickly and so young. These shockwaves of grief and disbelief rippled throughout our community so that even those who did not know her directly were affected by her loss.
From a young age, Emma was aware of and concerned by the inequity she saw around her, particularly while in elementary school on the east side of Springfield. Visiting the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam when she was 8 years old had a profound effect on Emma, and she continued to read everything she could on the topic, later starring in a production of The Diary of Anne Frank at Theatre in the Park in New Salem while in high school. In college, Emma worked with social equity projects in Cape Town, South Africa, and for the Appalachia Service Project.
Embedded in her service projects were her love for travel. One of her favorite books as a child was Miss Rumphius. The main character also loved to travel, as well as spread seeds of beauty in her wake, particularly those of lupines, which were one of Emma's favorites. Emma also developed a love of figs after spending hours picking and eating them with friends during her travels. Both were tattooed on her body, as well as the words, "Building Cities for Lovers and Friends" – her favorite things.
Emma worked tirelessly to address the inequity in her hometown she held so dear, canvassing door-to-door to hear what people had to say, as well as hosting soup nights to enable conversations on these topics. Emma often shared her vision of a just and equitable Springfield. Her writing in various publications drove the point home that she was "Planning to Stay," a concept that means "living and investing in our city while accounting for the next generations," reminiscent of the Indigenous focus on the Seventh Generation Principle.
In raising awareness, Emma wrote: "In order to address the different versions of Springfield throughout our city it requires bold, accountable change... If you have ever considered getting involved in a community movement, do it now. We have a fight for equity that goes across partisan lines to break down the tracks (figuratively and literally) that divide us. The only way we can do this: people power."
Emma's quiet leadership was felt in the many community organizing and activist groups for which she volunteered, including the Sierra Club – Sangamon Valley, Faith Coalition for the Common Good, Resister Sisterhood, Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network and many more.
Her spirit of activism continues to reverberate through our community, with hundreds of people wearing yellow in honor of Shafer showing up two months after her passing to voice their opposition to the construction of a CO2 pipeline in Sangamon County. A discussion of an east-side food co-op has begun, building on one of Emma's many ideas of social justice. There are countless more community activists taking up the torch in her memory, sporting buttons with a picture of a bee and the uniting phrase "be like Emma." These actions will not bring Shafer back, but guarantee her name will not be forgotten.
The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, working in conjunction with Emma's family, has established the Emma Shafer Peace and Justice Fund, which has already raised considerable funds from more than 600 donors. This fund will provide financial support to projects established with Emma's goals in mind of an equitable Springfield.
In a social media post describing her deeply felt need to return to Springfield, Shafer wrote, "I've never fully grasped the feeling that I'm meant to be in a certain place until now. I am grounded here on the land that I grew up on with the women who raised me, who are raising new women. I get to talk class consciousness and discriminatory planning for work, I read poetry, I sit on my roof, I connect people and ideas. I have never worked so hard and had such fun in my life. In the uncomfortable and exhausting moments – there are a lot of those, too – I sing and remind myself where we're going. How things could be."
As a community, we will continue this fight for a more just, more equitable Springfield for all of us. For Emma.
Carey Smith manages the Enos Park Neighborhood Gardens, which hosted a community paint event to establish a mural in honor and memory of Emma Shafer.
