U Roberto Romano was a photographer and filmmaker who worked closely with my client GoodWeave, a nonprofit working to end child labor in the handmade carpet industry. He also made the documentaries The Dark Side of Chocolate and The Harvest/La Cosecha about children forced to work in agriculture. Robin, as he was called, died last week unexpectedly. It’s a tremendous loss for the humanitarian community and for his many, many friends and colleagues. From one of Robin’s blog posts: “Nelson Mandela once said “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” What I have known for a decade is that where children in American agriculture are concerned, the soul of America is languishing.”
Thank you to a man I never met in person but appreciated enormously for his courage and commitment, as well as his eye for beauty and truth. A friend who knew him well called him “an intense creative caring artist.” I can think of no better way to have lived. Rest in peace and condolences to my colleagues who mourn him.
Elaine Lipson 