Translation from Spanish (below) by Maureen Mason & Eugenia Bermudez
The first and last time I saw Rhonda was when she had Jamilieth Mejia and me over to her apartment, a cold night in February 2008 in NY. We had arrived from Nicaragua, where a few months before a criminal investigation had begun against nine of us, including Jamileth and me, and the historic party of the "left" in Nicaragua had voted in the National Assembly to criminalize the right of women to therapeutic abortion. Rhonda, with her fractured Spanish, asked us dozens of questions and together, late into the night, we discussed the possibilities of making a formal complaint against the State of Nicaragua. We tried to make ourselves understood in a thousand ways, our frustrations, our struggles, the threats we faced, the disillusion, the will to keep fighting--and Rhonda listened, smiled, got distressed and furious, she was excited about the possibility of joining us in that struggle. We couldn't believe that "The Rhonda Copelon," the feminist lawyer from so many battles, the one who succeeded in getting violence against women recognized as an act of torture, among other victories--that she was going to be "our lawyer", but so it was. Coincidentally this week Sofia was translating the document, that Rhonda together with her students and with the support of Vivian of Madre, elaborated to file the complaint. My thanks to Rhonda for having believed, for making us feel believed and accompanied.
Hugs to all, for being there too, thanks Maria.
La primera y ultima vez que vi a Rhonda fue cuando nos recibio a Jamilieth Mejia y a mi, en su apartamento, una noche fria de febrero del 2008 en NY. LLegabamos de Nicaragua, hacia unos meses atras a nueve de nosotras, incluidas Jamileth y yo, se nos habia iniciado una investigacion criminal y el historico partido de "izquierda" de Nicaragua, habia dispuesto de sus votos en la Asamblea Nacional para criminalizar el derecho de las mujeres al aborto terapeutico. Rhonda con su español "machacado" nos hizo decenas de preguntas y juntas, hasta muy avanzada la noche, discutimos sobre las posibilidades de hacer una denuncia en contra del Estado de Nicaragua. Nosostras tratabamos de hacernos entender de mil maneras, nuestras frustraciones, nuestras luchas, las amenzas que nos acechaban, la desilucion, las ganas de seguir luchando y Rhonda escuchaba, sonrreia, se apenaba, se arrechaba, se entusiasmaba con la posiblidad de acompañarnos en esa lucha. Nosotras no terminabamos de creer que ella "la Rhonda Copelon", la abogada feminista de mil luchas, la que logro se reconociera la violencia en contra de las mujeres como un hecho de tortura, entre otras victorias, se disponia a ser "nuestra abogada" y asi fue. Casualmente esta semana Sofia traducia el documento que junto con sus estudiantes y con el apoyo de Vivian de Madre se logro elaborar para presentar la denuncia. Mi agradeciimiento a Rhonda por haber creido, por hacernos sentir creidas y acompañadas.
Abrazos a todas, por estar ahi tambien y gracias Maria.
