Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; defend the rights of all those who have nothing. Speak up and judge fairly, and defend the rights of the poor and needy.
–Proverbs 31:8-9 (New Century Version)
Erin Brockovich is one of my favorite movies: partly because I love Julia Roberts, and she can do no wrong in my mind, and partly because I love stories about the underdog taking on The Man. Regardless, you can’t deny that it’s a great story. Erin, an unemployed single mother, after being injured in a car accident, ends up getting a job in the office of Ed Masry, her attorney, filing paperwork. This leads her to start snooping through a real estate case involving the Pacific Gas & Electric Company, which has illegally dumped barrels of toxic hexavalent chromium and is now trying to buy that land. The chromium has infiltrated the local water supply and poisoned hundreds of local residents, many of whom cannot afford to pay for hospitalization or treatments. I’m not about to spoil the ending for those of you who (still) may not have seen the movie (go rent it), but I will say that in the film, Erin has a knack for people. Part of the reason she feels so passionate about the case is that she has gone out and met many of the plaintiffs. She becomes their friend, and in doing so, is able to bring them hope for justice.
At first glance, Erin is hardly the picture of a crusader for justice. She is twice-divorced with three children, has an affinity for wearing belly shirts at the office, and strings together swear words in ways that would surprise the cast of Reservoir Dogs. But she has a heart for people, and makes it her mission to ensure that justice is served in the case against PG&E. When Masry tells her they’ve hit a wall, she refuses to accept defeat. Instead of going back to the plaintiffs and admitting defeat, she rallies and fights to give the residents of Hinkley the best chance that she can possibly give them, and she refuses to settle for anything less. And her personal relationships with these residents are what keep her fighting.
Every day, we are all given an opportunity to stand up for what’s right; to fight our own crusade of justice. Sometimes it looks like a homeless man on the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Sometimes it’s a peaceful march to garner the attention of those who run our government. Sometimes it’s just asking a friend how their day was, and really meaning it. Our interactions with people say a lot about who we are and what we stand for.
Check out Monk & Neagle’s “The Twenty-First Time,” if you don’t know what I mean.
When it’s all said and done, I wouldn’t mind being compared to Erin Brockovich.
