Description

Eric Sirotkin’s Witness speaks to something innate in each of us: the desire to feel connected to those around us and live from our highest potential as human beings. This was brought home in Sirotkin’s first meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa, while Sirotkin co-chaired the International Monitoring Project of the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Tutu smiled as he told the author, “We are human through our relations with others. If I undermine your humanity, I dehumanize myself. This is ubuntu.”

As an activist litigator for social causes in America, Sirotkin engaged in the “good fight,” but felt something missing. Learning to actively live and work from ubuntu became a roar of awakening to a journey from litigation to liberation. Witness is filled with profound moments of compassion and quiet heroism from world famous activists and unknown women and men whose lives will inspire you to be the change the world needs, now more than ever.

Authors

Eric Sirotkin

Praise for Witness and the Activism of Eric Sirotkin

Eric Sirotkin does what only the very best lawyers can do — transform combat into co-creation, aggression into appreciation, and ultimately fear into love. In Witness, he creates new and positive possibilities for his clients, their attorneys, and the world. – Gary Zukav, author of The Seat of the Soul and The Dancing Wu Li Masters

“Justice has always been a constant struggle and Eric Sirotkin exemplifies the type of lawyer activist that impacts hearts and minds and our world at large. Witness is a personal journey but one that reminds us all that we can make a difference.” – Paul Bardacke, former New Mexico Attorney General and mediator

In a world driven by crass consumerism and conspicuous consumption, with an exaggerated emphasis on self indulgence and self fulfillment, Eric Sirotkin is that rarest of creatures: an internationalist in every best sense of that word; a champion of selfless service to others, performing great feats/deeds of self sacrifice. Eric is a grassroots intellectual, with a brilliant intellect and rare intellectual acuity and excellence, a great analytical mind and impeccable integrity. He is that rarest of lawyers, always being humble yet caring, placing his clients cause foremost; imbued by a great work ethic, and by always being the consummate professional. Eric epitomizes what I regard as the perfect progressive lawyer, by: firstly, regarding himself as a human being and humanitarian; secondly, as an activist (both socially and politically); and only, thirdly, as a lawyer. – Johnny Delange member of Parliament South Africa 1996 – 2016 and Chair of the Parliament Justice Committee

“The interest and support of your project has been a great encouragement to us at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu

“Your contribution and suggestions for the new constitution for South Africa have been very useful. I must say that your warmth and comradeship here in Cape Town was very much appreciated and has added to our faith in the struggle of the poor and the exploited.” – Dullah Omar South Africa Minister of Justice (1994 – 2005)

Travel an astounding journey, as I did, with tireless attorney Eric Sirotkin as he invents “nonviolent advocacy.” Witness brilliantly covers the course of a professional career, from “adversarial” civil liberties cases in Albuquerque, NM, to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-apartheid South Africa, to the Navajo Nation, and beyond to Cuba and North Korea, Eric opens his heart to show us that the practice of law can be, at its core, about humanity and spirit. My hope is that every future attorney will read this beautiful, peaceful warrior’s testament. – Mark Rudd, political activist, founding member of Weather Underground, author of Underground

“The depth and sincerity of Eric Sirotkin’s commitment to equality and human rights never ceases to amaze me. His capacity to communicate this knowledge in such a spell binding, down-to-earth and -easy-to-comprehend way is refreshing—a master in the art of reaching out and truly educating others.”  – Frank Miranda, former SNCC activist and Director of the New Mexico Human Rights Office

“Eric Sirotkin is a leading attorney in the human rights arena. I have worked closely with him in recent years in the area of human rights and he has demonstrated to me the knowledge, insight and ability to relate to younger people.” – Prof. Arthur Kinoy, author of Rights of Trial

“Eric Sirotkin has delivered a powerful account of his extraordinary life of social advocacy. Witness will take its place amongst those rare stories that inspire us to take our own stand and join the heroes of the world who have always relied on the power of love and the justice of integrity to finally prevail against the forces that seek to divide us.” – Will Wilkinson, co-founder The Academy of Natural Wisdom, author of Now or Never