Dear Mother Susan, my namesake:
Please accept my sincere condolences and sympathy on the senseless murder of your daughter, Heather.
I apologize for our nation, “the land of the free”, that your daughter’s life was taken for speaking out, and living out the tenets of faith and advocating for justice in America.
I ordered groceries for our youngest son today, as we celebrate his first job, first apartment, first assignment with TEACH FOR AMERICA, in Miami. And as we celebrate, your heart aches. Well, please know that my heart aches with you, breaks with you, prays for you.
Your daughter’s life, as you said, at her memorial, is “magnified”. And as a minister, not only is her life “magnified”, but God will be “glorified”, because of how you and her father handled this terrible situation.
So many agreed with you as we watched you on CNN yesterday, and refused the President’s calls. How can anyone, with good sense and any conscience, equate those who tried to speak up for what is right, with hate mongers who are are doing it all wrong? Thank you for screening your calls. We need more women like you to refuse to receive hate into your life.
Know that your daughter’s life is not in vain. We stand with you. I stand with you, Mother to mother, woman to woman, and please don’t let go of your dreams. As the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr said “hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”. So, with love, in love and lovingly, please accept my thanks for standing so tall. And you’ve got a friend, in New York, who mourns with you, and who holds your hand across the miles.
Suzan ( with a Z, so you can remember me) Johnson Cook
Rev. Dr. Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook was the 3rd US Ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom in the Obama administration, a mother or two sons, a woman who cares, and an advocate for justice. She can be reached at ProVoiceMovement@gmail.com or https:// www.Linkedin.com/in/ambassdor-suzan-johnson-cook-77552610b/
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