"As she has made the world a better place, Vanessa Merton has made history" -Julie L P

Bearing Witness

As I sit here in our home office high above the Hudson River that Vanessa Merton so loves, thoughts wash over me like the waves of that amazing river – thoughts of the many ways that Vanessa bears witness to justice. I think of how for years she has fought the pollution of the Hudson. I think of how she has worked ceaselessly, on every front, for the well-being of Hastings, particularly its precious green spaces. My mind flashes back to her trudging up our front walk on many a Sunday afternoon, petition in hand, spending time she could not afford, to request our support for the latest worthy cause or candidate. You would think to yourself, “I’d rather just sit here and keep reading the Times,” but you had to admire her dedication, and you always enjoyed chatting with her, there on the front porch, about the issues, and about your kids. Darrow and our Anna have always been a fun topic, as they grew up together, in the same grade, and with both then having gone on to public service: Darrow in diplomacy, Anna in state government. Vanessa even made time to recommend Anna for her first job working for an elected official. I suspect Vanessa was constantly carving out time to write letters of recommendation.

But of course it was as an attorney and law professor that Vanessa Merton bore witness in historic ways, founding the Pace Poverty Law Center and then the Pace Immigration Justice Clinic. As a historian of immigration, I stand in awe of her grasp of our byzantine immigration laws and am more inspired than I can say by her devotion to immigrants. She regularly brought law students down to the US/Mexican border to monitor the situation and help migrants navigate the daunting legal procedures. Returning from one of those trips, she recounted toddlers being held in manacles by US authorities! Vanessa Merton has borne witness to justice for migrants and trained a generation of top immigration justice lawyers.

Vanessa gave her all, with an intensity that was palpable. And yet she didn’t yell, instead speaking in a thoughtful, considered manner. And that sunny smile of hers was quick to break out at the sign of any good news or kind act or beauty in nature – especially the natural beauty abounding in Hastings and the Hudson River Valley in general.

As she has made the world a better place, Vanessa Merton has made history, even as she has inspired us all. May her loving devotion to justice and to community live on in all of us who know her and love her.

Julie L P