Celebrating the Legacy of Ann Fagan Ginger: A Civil Rights Pioneer
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Ann Fagan Ginger, 07/11/1925-08/20/2025, was a fearless and visionary American attorney, writer, educator, and civil rights pioneer. She died peacefully at her home in Berkeley weeks after her 100th birthday. A towering figure in human rights and international peace law, she founded the Meikeljohn Civil Liberties Institute and received a lifetime achievement award from the National Lawyers Guild. She practiced law in Boston, where her then husband, a radical historian, was teaching at Harvard. They were forced to leave when they refused to sign affidavits that they were not Communists. For Ann, this was a civil rights issue. In the late 50’s she argued and won a case before the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the due process rights of a client who was targeted by Ohio's "Un-American Activities Committee." In 1962, Ann was the only female attorney to attend the first interracial meeting in Atlanta, co-sponsored by the National Lawyers Guild and Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Council. She argued that women should be included and predicted the coming Women’s Rights Movement.
The Rev. Meg Whitaker-Greene, licensed psychotherapist, graduated from Starr King School for the Ministry in 1978 and was ordained as a UU minister. She worked at Planned Parenthood; in clinics serving survivors of sexual abuse (children, adolescents, and adults); as adjunct faculty at Starr King, Graduate Theological Union; and as treatment coordinator and therapist of families of persons suffering depression and/or psychosis (no drugs used) at Contra Costa County Hospital. Meg was the clinical supervisor of the Native American Health Center’s Family Trauma Dept., SF. She served congregations as minister in Davenport, Iowa; Thunder Bay, Ontario; and Atherton, England. She was a journalist and photographer for the Nicaraguan Interfaith Committee for Action in 1983 and Witness for Peace in 1987 and 1988 when the Contras were attacking. She was the UUA representative at Standing Rock in North Dakota doing photography and journalism in 2016 and 2017. She is a Founding Board Member of the Faithful Fools (1997) and is an Affiliated Minister with the Faithful Fools. Meg was a close friend of Ann Fagan Ginger.
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