Birthday of deceased son of Rep Jamie Raskin marked by acts of kindness

‘Please look after each other, the animals, and the global poor for me,’ the Harvard Law School student wrote in a farewell note to his family

Jamie Raskin goes through family photos of his son, Tommy. (The Washington Post)

Sunday 30 January marked the 27th birthday of Tommy Raskin, the son of Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., whose death by suicide on Dec. 31, 2020, launched a horrific week for the family that ended with the congressman being trapped inside the U.S. Capitol with his daughter and son-in-law during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

To commemorate the birthday, the Raskin family initiated a day of community service on social media that echoed his farewell note to his parents, in which the Harvard Law School student urged them to “Please look after each other, the animals, and the global poor for me.”

The campaign, dubbed #TodayForTommy, sparked an outpouring of generosity across the country. By noon Sunday, nearly 230 people shared their acts of kindness to a Google document compiled by the Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund for People and Animals that was created by the Raskin family.

Numerous people headed to food pantries. A bakery in Takoma Park, Md., offered free vegan doughnuts in honour of Tommy Raskin, who became a vegan animal activist shortly before he died. In North Carolina, a volunteer donated to a foundation for children with brain tumours.

“It’s been really exciting to see what people have wanted to do,” said Hannah Raskin, 29, Tommy’s older sister, who with her family and some friends spent Sunday morning serving vegetarian meals to homeless people at the Shepherd’s Table food pantry in Silver Spring.

“This is just a special way for our family to honor him and honor his birthday,” she said.

The Raskin family has been in the public spotlight since the tragedy.

Rep. Raskin was the lead impeachment manager during the House of Representatives trial against former president Donald Trump and is now a member of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot.

His wife, Sarah Bloom Raskin, a former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury, was recently nominated by President Joe Biden to be the Federal Reserve’s next vice chair for supervision - a move to put a liberal policymaker in a key role in overseeing Wall Street’s biggest banks that is expected to be met with partisan opposition in the thinly divided U.S. Senate.

Through it all, the family has worked to come to terms with the loss of a loved one whose parents described as “a radiant light in this broken world.”

Wendy Kent, president of the Tommy’s Pantry food bank in Takoma Park, said the Raskins - who live nearby - have frequently come in to help distribute meals and other supplies to the needy.

After the family publicly shared their grief, the pantry changed its name from the Takoma Park Pantry to honour Raskin.

Shortly before his birthday last year, Kent reached out to the family to gauge their interest in helping with the launch of a program to hand out free toiletries, laundry detergent, feminine hygiene products and other items that aren’t available through government SNAP benefits.

The Raskins responded enthusiastically and commemorated the birthday by showing up with a few friends, along with a security detail there to protect them against partisan threats that Rep. Raskin had received for his role in the impeachment trial, Kent said.

With their grief over Tommy’s death still raw, the scene that day was emotional and surreal, Kent said.

“It was rough,” she said. But “they were so enthusiastic.”

On Sunday, several people who responded to the #TodayForTommy campaign said they were moved by that spirit.

A volunteer in Maryland baked cookies for people handing out coronavirus test kits. Someone in Rhode Island donated to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Another respondent, who didn’t say where they lived, said they donated to a memorial fund to honour a brother who died of cancer a year ago Sunday, a day before his 14th birthday.

“I honor both men, gone too soon,” the person said. “May Tommy’s vision live on and be a comfort to you.”

The Washington Post