Harjo's memorial touches many

By Susan Zuckert, Forty-Niner Online
Sept. 21, 1995

It's likely that no one inside the Informal Lounge of the University Student Union heard the tractors shoveling earth or the piercing beeps of cement trucks backing up on Hardfact Hill Wednesday.

Probably none of the 20 friends, family or instructors who gathered on the other side of the gray-tinted window noticed the regular stream of students walking the long steps, or the way the wind was peacefully blowing the leaves on the trees outside.

Inside they were remembering student Michele Harjo - a friend, activist and leader, who was president of the Cal State Long Beach organization Men and Women Against Rape.

Harjo, 30, died Sept. 9 from a reaction to various medications she was taking, said her cousin Marie Schroeder.

Harjo left behind a group of people touched by her dedication and courage. She made use of her personal experience with acquaintance rape to offer victims both emotional support and practical advice on the legal system.

Her persistence with the issue was noted by Patricia Rozee, the faculty advisor for Men and Women Against Rape. "The work she did was incredible, she left a legacy in such a short period of time," Rozee said.

Although she battled epilepsy, asthma and a thyroid condition, Harjo had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and had started taking a new medication three days before her death, Schroeder said.

Harjo's family is still awaiting the results of the autopsy and a toxicology test to confirm the cause of death, Schroeder said.

Thomas Brennan, co-founder of Men and Women Against Rape, talked about Harjo's commitment to rape and sexual assault victims, as well as her ability to involve men in the cause.

"What I learned most from Michele was a richer sense of courage," he said, "and how to improve relations between men and women to prevent rape."

Marcela Chavez, director of the Women's Resource Center, announced the creation of the Michele Harjo Date and Acquaintance Rape Prevention and Support Group, calling Harjo "one of the most courageous persons" she had ever known.

Familiar descriptions continued to surface at the memorial, and was remarked upon by David Mahoney, a CSULB graduate and friend of Harjo. "I keep hearing the words courage and inspiration," he said. "It's really fitting for Michele. In a short period of time she accomplished a lot."

At the noon memorial, faculty advisor Rozee introduced Velma Vieth as the new president of Men and Women Against Rape. Vieth had previously worked with Harjo, and called her a big influence.

Chavez concluded her brief speech with a passage from Harjo's own words: "The miracle is this, the more we share, the more we have."