Rae Lesser Blumberg, in her youth, was one of the great pioneers of the sociology of gender and development. Her pioneering theory of societal differences in women’s power remains one of the fundamental intellectual foundations of the study of women in the Global South. She wrote prolifically. She researched women’s economic and personal life all over the world. She did vast amounts of applied work on projects designed to raise women’s status. She was a mentor and supporter of multiple generations of young feminist scholars. Rae Blumberg was an intellectual giant and a pillar of our discipline.

Sadly, Rae is 84 years old and exhibiting signs of cognitive decline. Currently, she has short-term memory deficits. As a result, she was financially exploited and psychologically abused by someone close to her that she trusted. Her retirement account was tapped repeatedly. Significant debt was accumulated in her name. To make matters worse, her home has been severely neglected by those that she trusted to care for her, falling into a state of great disrepair. The abuser has been removed but the house needs significant work to be cleaned and made safe and functional. Rae needs our help. Please see the particulars here https://gofund.me/2693315b.

Due to her short-term memory loss, Rae remembers little detail of how much money was asked of her or how frequently. When her son found out what was going on, he contacted her bank and discovered her retirement account had been completely drained. She was being neglected and little was done to facilitate her health and well-being. She is currently staying with her son and daughter-in-law and her quality of life is improving. She is eating healthier, getting regular medical treatment, and reconnecting with her friends and family, but the shock of this has left her distressed, depressed, and anxious.

Her son, David, has spent much of his own savings to help with legal expenses, cover bills, and support Rae while he works to stabilize her finances, protect her from creditors, future abuse, and save her home. Rae worked hard all her life, and this is an unimaginable nightmare. With nowhere else to turn, David is urgently asking for help to stabilize his mom’s situation. He is asking for funds and for other sorts of assistance. Please see the particulars here https://gofund.me/2693315b.

Please help if you can and consider forwarding this to anyone you might think can help. If you have questions, please feel free to contact David at https://gofund.me/2693315b.