We learned that Anne Herman has passed on from lung cancer in Birmingham, AL. Anne was in Jonesborough, Tennessee, during the 10-day May 2007 delegation and action by Christian Peacemaker Teams against Aerojet Ordnance's production of depleted uranium munitions cores. She was not well then but persisted in being part of every action that team shared with her unsurpassed candidness and humor.
Before then, we had crossed paths with Anne in Chiapas, Mexico, in December 1998 during the time of the commemoration of the 45 persons who were massacred by paramilitaries in Acteal the year earlier. We had known Anne and shared time with her as well during her activism while she lived in upstate NY.
The obituary below is a very fair representation of Anne. The photo is from a film clip during the Jonesborough, TN, action.
Wes Rehberg
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Activist Anne Herman dead at 74
By George Basler
Press & Sun-Bulletin [Binghamton, NY]
Deeply committed, but never strident, Anne Herman was a fixture in anti-war and social justice activities in Broome County [upstate New York] for more than two decades.
"It seemed like every important action that dealt with social justice, Anne was there," said Jack Gilroy, a fellow activist and former teacher.
A memorial service for Ms. Herman, 74, will take place at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Binghamton. She died Nov. 22 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.
Ms. Herman was motivated by " a deep down, basic caring about people" and an identification with those she considered oppressed throughout the world, said Ann Clune, of Binghamton, a long-time friend and fellow activist.
In the 1980s, Ms. Herman worked as the local coordinator of RAM (Redistribute America Movement), a statewide welfare advocacy group. She later did advocacy work with the Mayan people in Chiapas, Mexico.
Over the years, Ms. Herman protested against everything from spousal abuse to nuclear arms to American foreign policy and, most recently, the Iraq War. She was arrested a number of times, and in 1997 was sentenced to six months in federal prison for trespassing at the Army-run School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga.
"She was a pleasant person, but she also pushed. She had the strength of saying, 'I know where I'm going, and I'm going to take all the steps to get there,'" said David Duncan, former director of Opportunities for Broome.
But, Gilroy said, he can never remember Ms. Herman making a negative comment about another person, even someone she disagreed with. In 1998, the Broome County Council of Churches recognized her for her community work.
"She saw problems with power and force being right, and didn't accept that," Gilroy said. Ms. Herman also made beautiful quilts and was close to her six children and five grandchildren, Clune said.
In 2003, Ms. Herman described her lifelong activism this way: "I've come to the place in life where I realize I can't look to success, rather I need to do what I need to do. You never know who you might impact." Donations can be made in her name to the Christian Peacemaker Teams, Box 6508, Chicago, Ill. 60680-6508.
