As we all know, there are many people whose work in the cause of justice and peace is done primarily behind the scenes -- quietly and tirelessly, behind the visible faces of the leaders of those movements.

I believe that Ella Baker coined the phrase: "We need movement-based leadership rather than leader-based movements."  These people of often quiet sources of strength who make all of our work possible.

The woman we honor with this fourth "Giants of Justice" award told me that her consciousness as a social activist began in 7th grade when she saw a film about World War II, not long after the war ended.  Some years later, in the early 1960s, when she was in journalism school in Syracuse, new York -- a place that means a great deal to me, as I lived there as a young child -- she marched against racism.  While most people's eyes were focused on racism in the U.S. South, she was one of those who had come to recognize that racism was just as present in our nation's North.

But, indeed, it has been in the South that most of this woman's ministry has been lived out.  And it is appropriate for us to honor one of our church's justice voices from the South, since we are here today in Atlanta.  Many of us would argue that justice work is hardest in this part of our church, so we are especially pleased to raise up one of the advocates who work in this geographic region.

It was in the mid-1990s that I first cam to meet this woman.  I was a new, young member of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship's (EPF) National Executive Council.  She was the secretary of that body -- a person who not only did peace work in her own place, but quietly took the minutes of our meetings to help us get the work done.  She served in that low-profile capacity for almost a decade.

Since those EPF days, I've come to think of her as the "Ultimate Justice Volunteer," since she always does the hard work that needs to be done to move forward our justice agenda.  She is now one of the small group of people who do most of the grunt work for the Episcopal Network for Economic Justice (ENEJ).  I was looking through my email inbox the other day and found a message posted by this woman to that group's listserve back in the summer.  Someone needed to find some economic justice resolution from last year's General Convention.  In response, our awardee volunteered to compile and send out a who list of related resolutions from the General Convention and Executive Council of the Church!

Someone once said something to the effect of "half of life is just showing up."  This person SHOWS UP.  You will find her at every event, gathering, conference where justice and peace are being addressed.  We are so glad she is with us today.  This quiet "Giant of Justice" is Verna Fausey.

Ethan Vesely-Flad -- Editor, "The Witness" -- NEW PHONE 212-426-9881.  Since 1917, organizing the church's progressive movement for gospel justice http://www.thewitness.org/, 510-701-5267 (cell), ethan@thewitness.org.