Remembering Eric Tang

I'd like to share the following message received from CA Clean Money executive director Susan Lerner about the tragically untimely death of Eric Tang. Eric worked for CA Clean Money as communications director, and he was always enthusiatic, knowledgeable, kind, and generous with his time and knowledge.

I want to acknowledge Eric here today, and to say that I always appreciated the hard work and cheerful enthusiasm that he brought to the table. I'm sure he will be missed by many.

Dear Friends:

We are deeply saddened that last week our friend and former colleague Eric Tang died in an accident at a waterfall outside of Mexico City. He was two months into a yearlong Latin American odyssey, an adventure fueled by all the wonder, joy and humanity that were Eric's.

Eric was an early member of the CCMC team. As a student at UCLA, he interned at CCMC and became so passionate about the issue that he continued as a volunteer until a staff position opened up. As CCMC's communications coordinator, Eric brought keen intelligence, ready wit, and infinite enthusiasm to advancing Clean Money throughout California.

Eric took on a thousand and one tasks - from exhorting volunteers to attend petition parties to enter hundreds of names from signed petitions and organizing lobbying days in Sacramento, to writing newsletters in his graceful narrative style and criss-crossing the state to promote Clean Money - and always with creativity, humor and irrepressible faith in our shared responsibility for each other. Whether traveling the state for Prop 89 or working for African refugee relief, Eric's unflagging energy and dedication was inspiring.

"Our fundamental belief," Eric wrote on his "Smart with Heart" website, "is that a life lived in accordance with reason and guided by compassion for others will generate the sort of social change this world so desperately needs. Knowledge can be a powerful tool in itself, but compassion provides the true impetus for using what we know to cultivate the world as we feel it ought to be."

To his every day, Eric Tang brought the compassion and courage that changes lives, and the world.

Susan Lerner

We are collecting remembrances and stories about Eric from CCMC activists and supporters in order to create a tribute book for his parents. Please share your memories and pictures of Eric by sending them to moira@CAclean.org.