Printer-friendly version
November 22, 2009 – Susan West Friedman dedicated her life to fighting for civil rights, social justice, equality for all and the peace movement. She served on the board of directors for Activist San Diego, an organization headed by her husband, Martin Eder. But in East County, she is best known for her efforts to help halt Blackwater from opening a private military base in Potrero. Friedman, 59, died October 31 of a brain tumor. Yesterday, friends and admirers gathered for a memorial event to celebrate her life and honor her memory.
“Life does not only belong to me. We all belong to each other. Just that one thought could take a lifetime to practice,” Friedman said in 1972.
As a high school student, she marched for civil rights for African-Americans. Decades later, she marched for other causes, joining a Code Pink sit-in at the White House to protest the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. As a board member of Activist San Diego, she saw a dream of gaining an FM radio license for a community radio station become a reality. She participated in protests against Blackwater that drew global media coverage. (Blackwater ultimately withdrew its plans for a training camp in Potrero.) Most recently, she became active in efforts to win marriage equality for gay and lesbian people.
“She was a very dedicated, passionate and effective activist and organizer,” said Carol Jahnkow, director of the Peace Resource Center and co-coordinator of the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice, an organization in which Friedman was an active member.
Born March 6, 1950 in New York, she was raised in New Rochelle, NY and earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Boston University. She met her husband, Martin Eder, while both were attending the University of Colorado. They traveled together to South America at a time when the continent was “alive with social change and the people were yearning and organizing for freedom,” Eder wrote. “The experience transformed both of us at our core and led us on a life-long quest: the cause of justice.”
The two went their separate ways for many years. Friedman married and had two children, daughter Allie and Melissa, who reside in Los Angeles and New York. After divorcing six years ago, she moved to San Diego, where she has resided for nearly five years and married Eder one year ago.
In addition to her activism, she enjoyed cooking , hiking and camping. She and Eder climbed Half Dome in Yosemite last year. Twelve weeks before her death, she was diagnosed with brain cancer.
“Her loving, fighting spirit lives on with us wherever the cause of justice is at play,” Eder wrote in an e-mail sent to those who knew Friedman. On November 21st, a celebration honored her life of “love, passion and activism,” drawing hundreds who came to share their memories.
An online photo album to honor Friedman has been established at http://picasaweb.google.com/activistsd/SusanWestFriedmanPhotosMemorialCo... .
Before her death, Friedman established the Susan West Friedman Fund for Civil and Human Rights. She asked that it be part of her legacy and requested donations be made in her memory to: www.SusanWestFriedmanFund.com.
Recent comments