ALettertoHillaryRodhamClinton

FromtheWomenofHarvardLawSchool

DearSecretaryClinton:

Thank you. As women in lawschool,wehavebeeninspiredbyyourcareerinthelawandpublic

service and by your campaign to be the first female President of the United States. As young
lawyers, we will turn to your example of hard work, determination in the face of seemingly
insurmountable odds, and bold tenacity during our careers. Even though the outcome the
election is not what so many among us would have wanted, we are better able to face the
challenges to come in our countrybecauseofyourleadership. Youhavechartedthecoursefor
so many women and we are eternally grateful to you for your fearlessness and grace
throughoutyourlifeofpublicservice.

Because we are aspiringfemalelawyers,wehavebeenparticularlymovedandinspiredbyyour

campaign, and also by your lifes work. The law is a formidable tool and should be a force for
good, but too often it is manipulated in a such a way astoentrenchhatefulviewsandinjustice.
We have often wondered in school, when reading cases like Plessy v. Ferguson, Korematsu v.
United States, and Bowers v. Hardwick: how can prominent actors in our civic system justify
such morally repugnant practices? And we oftenwonderedthesamethingwhenweheardthe
unfair,codedcritiquesofyourcandidacy.

In our classrooms, we were ultimatelyrenderedhopefulbythecasesthatfollowed,likeBrownv.

Board, Roe v. Wade, and Obergefell v.Hodges,thatshowusthatourlegalinstitutionscanbend
toward justice. In our daily lives,wewereenergizedandemboldenedbyyourmessagesoflove,
inclusivity,andkindness. Manyofuswouldgathertodiscussideasforthefutureofourcountrys
legal institutions because we finally had a model inthehighestechelonsofpowerthatmadeus
believe that we could craft America in our image. Your demonstrated civility, bipartisanship,
and respect for others encouraged us to reach out to those whose ideologies and priorities
differ markedly from our own, but who share an unwavering commitment to bettering our
nation.Youmadeuscompassionatelisteners,moreempatheticlawyers,andbettercitizens.

The outcomeoftheelectionhurtusbecauseitfeltlikeavindicationofbeliefsthatwehadhoped
were long repudiated by our society. We wept. We felt paralyzed. Worst,perhaps,manyofus
lost hope in a future that wehadspentyearsimagininginthewakeofyourleadership. Butyour
speech the day following the election reminded us of the strengthofourconvictions,andofthe
stakes for our country and the world. In the face of a devastating loss, we found power in your
words.Eveninthemosttryingoftimes,wewerestrongerbecausewewerewithyou.

We pledge to use the enormous privilege of our education at Harvard Law School to continue
the battles you have fought allofyourlife. Wewillcarryyourexamplewithusonthelongmarch
towardjustice.