Brockovich: A Symbol of Hope During Catastrophe

What great timing for a grand reminder about the difference one person can make. On June 11th, the New Hampshire Women’s Leadership Summit was held in Nashua and featured Erin Brockovich as the keynote speaker. My biz partner, Deb and I, were fortunate enough to speak at the Summit and then see Brockovich speak.

Due to her incredible conviction and great dislike of deceit and injustice, Brockovich persevered and achieved an amazing feat. She and Ed Masry, a principle at the law firm she worked at as a file clerk, built a case that in 1996, resulted in the largest toxic tort injury settlement in U.S. history against a giant corporation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

What Brockovich said on June 11th was that the majority of the movie made about her was indeed real; there is little Hollywood embellishment. She is just as passionate today about justice and the environment, having just returned from being out on shrimp boats in Louisiana to survey the damage.

It seems we need 10,000 Erin Brochovich’s to battle this oil leak catastrophe, but after seeing her, I’d be very afraid if I were in her path. She is an amazing reminder, and a symbol of hope, that one person can make a difference.