THE tributes paid to Anna Lo provide all of the adjectives required to summarise her and the impact she made as a politician here.
From across the political spectrum, Ms Lo – who died on Wednesday aged 74 – was remembered as “a ground-breaker”. And as a “political trailblazer”. As “an amazing woman”. And as someone who “worked to build a better society for all”.
Reading the many tributes – from the First Minister Michelle O’Neill, to Alliance leader Naomi Long – a full picture of the politician was clear.
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But, as always, it is the legacy you leave as a person that is as important – if not, more so – and on that front Ms Lo’s tributes were powerful and fulsome.
Her sons Owen and Conall Watson said “she stood for and fought for equality, for women’s rights, against discrimination, including racism, and for a political system to serve the needs of people rather than reinforce historic divisions”.
Former SDLP leader Colum Eastwood recalled her as “a fierce advocate and a genuinely good person”.
As someone who was born outside of these shores, Ms Lo brought to northern politics a unique perspective and well of experiences.
She made headlines in 2014 when she told The Irish News that she was a supporter of Irish unity and described herself as “anti-colonial”.
She told our political correspondent, John Manley, how she felt a reunified island would “be better placed economically, socially and politically”.
Those words required courage, coming as they did at a time when the DUP was the largest Stormont party and Alliance still a fledgling but ambitious political force.
But courage never seemed to be a problem for Ms Lo, who has been battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma since 2007. Following her unity comments, she was vilified by unionism and threatened by loyalists.
Future first minister Arlene Foster was at the forefront of that criticism while a Co Antrim man, David John Wylie, was given a suspended sentence after he posted on social media a picture of himself posing with a rifle threatening Ms Lo with the words “you are next”.
She faced down all her critics with conviction and humility.
The final tribute belongs to MLA Kate Nicholl, who worked for Ms Lo and whose background bears similarities to her mentor.
She said: “Anna taught me the value of hard work, of sticking to your values and how politics done with kindness and empathy goes so much further than bitterly fixating on differences or the past.”
If we’re to develop as one society, built on respect, tolerance and understanding, having more politicians and good citizens like Anna Lo would go a long way to propagating such a thing.
