Remembering Ron Fischman
We are deeply saddened by the death of longtime RESULTS advocate Ron Fischman. Ron’s courage, energy, and commitment to combating inequality inspired his friends and family, fellow RESULTS volunteers, and even policymakers.
Ron attended his first RESULTS conference in 1984 and just a few months after becoming a RESULTS volunteer, he set out to make Congressman Ed Feighan an anti-poverty champion. Ron volunteered for Feighan’s “get out the vote” push and spent months researching the economic impact of a new draft bill he wanted the Congressman to introduce – the Self-Sufficiency for the Poor Act of 1987. Ron urged friends and family to write letters to Feighan and worked closely with RESULTS staff to push Feighan to introduce the bill. Months later, Ron’s hard work paid off. In Sam Daley-Harris’s book Reclaiming Our Democracy, Ron recalled his first major advocacy success:
“Finally, on January 10th, 1987… I was getting the RESULTS conference call connected to our living room, and wound up speaking to Michael Rigby [RESULTS Legislative Director]…the excitement in his voice carried over the phone and leapt into my ear as he whispered, ‘News flash: Your man, Ed Feighan, has agreed to introduce the Self- Sufficiency for the Poor Act this week!’ I felt in that moment that my life was complete.”
Ron’s persistence led Congressman Feighan to introduce the very first bill in Congress focusing on microloans for the world’s poorest women. Ron’s efforts were an early and critical catalyst for what is now a global movement reaching over 100 million of the poorest women on the planet and their families with small loans and other services to help them move themselves out of poverty.
When you wonder if you have the courage to combat injustice and push members of Congress to take leadership on poverty issues, think of Ron and the example he set. Ron’s contribution to fighting poverty is a testament to what is possible when generosity, courage, and vision come together as they did in Ron.
Joanne Carter