On the very night Senator JD Vance took the national stage in the vice-presidential debate, dozens of his former Yale Law School classmates were engaged in a rather different activity. They were busy raising more than $10,000—not for a political campaign or cause associated with Mr. Vance, but for Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. The irony was palpable, given the fundraising effort sought to counteract the damage caused by debunked rumors, which the Trump-Vance camp had allegedly fueled. These rumors suggested that migrants were stealing and eating pets—claims that incited a wave of threats against Springfield’s Haitian community.
The campaign was spearheaded by Peter Chen, a member of the Yale Law Class of 2013, who shared his alma mater with both Mr. Vance and his wife, Usha. Mr. Chen, the son of immigrants, seemed especially moved by the outpouring of support. “It was emotionally moving for me, personally, to see all the different messages and to see all the ways that people still reflect those values,” he said. More than 50 classmates—about a quarter of the entire class—donated, leaving messages of solidarity on the donation page for the Springfield Unity Fund, an initiative created by the United Way.
Some classmates, though, didn’t shy away from addressing the elephant in the room. Robert W. Cobbs, a lawyer based in Washington, donated $100 and dedicated his contribution to Mr. Vance and his wife with biting candor: “In honor of JD Vance and Usha Vance. YLS Class of 2013 stands against scapegoating and demagoguery drawn straight from the playbooks of fascism. With love and a prayer that JD Vance and Usha Chilukuri Vance find the moral strength to reverse the course of their lives.”
Sofia Nelson, a public defender in Detroit who once shared a close friendship with Mr. Vance before their views on LGBTQ issues drove them apart, also made a donation. Hers was one of over 60 from the Yale Law School community by the following day. The donations, as Chen noted, were not just about the money—they were about upholding shared values and standing against divisiveness.
Meanwhile, Lorie Hale, director of operations for the United Way of Clark, Champaign, and Madison Counties, said the organization felt “blessed” to receive such support during a time of “unprecedented attention.” Hale’s comment captured the contrast between the high-profile debate happening on one screen and the quieter but powerful statement being made in a virtual donation forum—a collective act of defiance and solidarity.