Tragic news from the RESULTS community

I’m writing with heartbreaking news from the RESULTS community. We learned this morning of the death of La’Shon Sincereá Marshall, her boyfriend Aaron, and her beloved son Caleb. La’Shon was a tremendous advocate in Detroit, a leader in the Experts on Poverty cohort, and a dear friend and such a light to so many of us in RESULTS. This is a devastating loss, and my heart is with the many people in RESULTS, her family, and her community who loved her so deeply and were inspired by who she was.

Yesterday we also lost the remarkable Dr. Paul Farmer, one of the world’s fiercest champions for real health equity. Dr. Farmer made an immeasurable impact as a leader and visionary—working with local partners to show what was possible in HIV and TB treatment and equitable delivery of quality health care for all. And Paul was also an enormously caring and generous mentor and ally. I was lucky to count him as a friend, and I know so many of us were moved, touched, and inspired by his work.

It’s hard to find the words for this moment. We are collecting remembrances of La’Shon to share with her family, and invite you to contribute here. We will be doing more to honor the lives and impact of both La’Shon and Paul in the coming days. And we are arranging some sessions for the grassroots network to have a space to process these losses and will keep you updated.

As we process this awful news, we know the work of both La’Shon and Paul is unfinished. Both of them were so deeply dedicated to a better and more equitable future for the country and the world. May we honor their lives by both acknowledging their enormous contributions and committing ourselves to move our vision and this work forward.