On Saturday, April 10, the Legislative Policy Collaborative of PYM sponsored a virtual workshop on Pathways to Ending Gun Violence: Legislative Solutions. Nearly 120 people registered for this event – clearly, this is a topic of great concern to F/friends, as representatives from more than 30 meetings tuned in to get informed and to get involved.
[Read more…] about Pathways to Ending Gun Violence: Legislative Solutions
Judith Pilla of Radnor Monthly Meeting has published a letter to the editor in the December 23 Philadelphia Inquirer following a trip to Washington, DC, to lobby lawmakers on the importance of preserving the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits. The lobby visit was part of Friends Committee on National Legislation’s recent Annual Meeting and Lobby Day a few weeks ago. The Farm Bill, which included language preserving a more comprehensive set of SNAP benefits, passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives following lobby efforts by Friends and other like-minded folks. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting had one of the very largest delegations to FCNL’s lobby day and Annual Meeting. For more information on FCNL, please visit fcnl.org. The text of Judith’s letter to the editor is below:
“One of the most effective U.S. anti-poverty programs is now on its way to the president’s desk for signature, partly due to efforts of more than 400 Quakers, many from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Through the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Washington’s oldest faith-based lobby, Quakers recently traveled to Capitol Hill to convince Congress that SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) must remain intact, without harsh provisions in the House version that would have cut out people struggling to find or keep work.
SNAP feeds 2,750,000 residents of the three states; 38 percent are children. SNAP improves work and school performance, helps prevent childhood developmental delays, and keeps many out of poverty. SNAP enabled one Philadelphia mother to replace the pictures of food she showed her children to quell their hunger with real food. Protecting SNAP is a national victory and a gift long after the holidays for all who live in our region.”
Quakers have a long history of political engagement. As the midterm elections approach, the PYM / FCNL Legislative Policy Collaborative encourages all Friends to engage in constructive dialogue with candidates at Town Hall Meetings and via Letters to the Editor.
FCNL’s website section on Questions for Candidates offers nonpartisan guidance on issues Friends care about.
We gather on Saturday, March 17 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Hundreds of Young Adults from 40 States convene to learn how to effectively lobby our government from a place of faith on the topic of immigration for Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Spring Lobby Weekend. Today we go deep right away to answer the questions: “Why are we here?” and “What stories do we bring?” In small group discussions there is a shared shyness about opening up and telling our stories, but it starts, and our advocacy corps member gives guiding support for what stories are useful when talking to our representatives. When we gather back in our large group of around 400 people, we settle into silence and Friends begin to share their stories. Many of the people who stand up share that they themselves are DACA recipients, or have family members who are undocumented, and whose families have been affected by the criminalization of immigration in the United States. My witness to our lobby topic deepens in the worshipful sharing. In closing worship a Friend stands and quotes Assata Shakur, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
On Day 2, Immigration & Domestic Policy Lobbyist at FCNL, Hannah Graf Evans, introduces us to the lobby ask, or in other words, what exactly we are asking our government to do. This is the wording given by FCNL: “We urge Congress to protect Dreamers by enacting a pathway to citizenship without breaking families apart or ramping up extreme border enforcement. Passing protections for Dreamers is just a first step. True immigration reform will require much more to align policy with our shared values of welcome, compassion, and diversity.” You can find the full lobby ask here.
At the keynote today, Greisa Martinez Rosas from United We Dream shared her story and why she fights for people who are undocumented. She also shared with us a Mexican proverb, “They tried to bury us, but they did not know we were seeds.” You can watch the full speech on FCNL’s Facebook Page.
After a Congressional Staff Panel, we gather in state-groups to plan our lobby visit. I meet with PA but there are other PYM YAF’s who are representing New Jersey. We have an afternoon appointment in Senator Casey’s (PA) office so there is a sense that the pressure is on. One of the most helpful pieces of Spring Lobby Weekend was the Lobby Visit Roadmap they shared with us (FCNL’s strategy for an effective meeting). It includes introductions, thank yous, the ask, and having three people share their stories, followed by repeating the ask, more thank yous and a post visit follow-up email. In our Pennsylvania delegation we identified the people who would be sharing stories today, which included a DACA recipient who is a student at Penn State, a friend from rural PA with a Christ-based faith approach to the ask, and ME! (Before working at PYM I did a lot of work with undocumented communities and I’m grateful I was able bring this experience here.)
In the afternoon we follow the lobby visit roadmap and have a semi-successful meeting with a staffer of Senator Casey. Successful in the fact that Sen. Casey supports our ask. However, discouraging because the staffer believes the Democrats have no power even to get this on the floor right now. As I reflect on the meeting on the front steps of Russell Senate Office Building, Casey walks right up the stairs next to me!
Unfortunately on the final day of Spring Lobby Weekend a snow storm picks up and I head off early as to not get snowed in. However the PA delegation kept lobbying and met with staffers of Senator Toomey!
Can you picture this? There were 425 Quakers from programmed meetings, un-programmed meetings, evangelical Friends churches, and other Quaker organizations from all across the United States, joyfully traipsing all over Capitol Hill on November 2 and 3 this year. About 54 of those Friends were from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Imagine! You would think there would be much silence, but no! Though there was worship, we were raising our voices to insist that thereby no increase to the Pentagon budget. We were encouraging a budget with a moral base, pressing for care for people, and speaking out against a bloated Pentagon budget with no accountability at all, even to Congress. We were passionate in holding our representatives to account. We, as constituents, urged them to do the right thing by all the people in their districts. Money for health care, for food stamps, for housing subsidies, for education, and for care for the elderly should not be cut to meet the increases in the budget for military equipment.
In the visit to Sen.Toomey’s office, there were 25 Friends, all of whom knew we were trudging up a stubborn hill. But the stories we told of personal experiences with veterans, of conditions in the city of Philadelphia, of health care needs, were powerful and demanded attention. We also had 25 people in Sen. Casey’s office, where we received a warm welcome as we shared some individual stories of working in non-profits overseas during a crisis, where the money for diplomacy and development grew much more capacity for peace than military outposts. We told a story about the pain and hopelessness in veterans’ hospitals, hoping that WE WOULD MAKE NO MORE VETERANS. We heard that Sen. Casey hopes for our support as he tries to uphold the Iran deal, seeks more funding for poor families, and pushes for an audit of Pentagon spending. We promised those to him and encourage any of you who feel likewise to write to him in support of those issues.
The 54 stalwart Quakers then divided up to visit representatives from their individual legislative districts. Those districts stretched the length and breadth of PYM itself. We represented you all in bringing basic Quaker testimonies to bear on the legislative process. We advocated for peaceful solutions, healthy communities, justice and equality, and restoring our earth. And we were hoarse afterward!
Maybe you’ve heard of FCNL.
I first came into relationship with Friends Committee on National Legislation by way of a push from a Friend. They said, “This is important, you are important, you should team up.”
So I attended Spring Lobby Weekend (begrudgingly!) in 2014 with expectations of feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and disappointed in our government. But somehow, over a few days, FCNL sneakily transformed me into a hopeful lobbyist. I entered my representative’s office on Capitol Hill alone, prepared, centered, and, I believe, effective.
Look at me now:
I had lobbied on ending the Authorization for Use of Military Force, an issue on which I certainly did not feel like an expert, but that I knew with my whole spirit was something that needed to be addressed in Congress. I was impressed by the smooth organization of that conference—how calm and prepared I felt in my new lobbying shoes. I was immediately energized by the 4 “We Seeks” that define the mission of FCNL’s operation:
We seek a world free of war and the threat of war
We seek a society with equity and justice for all
We seek a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled
We seek an earth restored
I felt supported by the logical and radical concept of using morality as a common denominator. It felt right to say, “I know we have different views but I think we can agree that a society with equity and justice for all is something worth working for, and here’s what I think will help make that happen.”
I’m 26 years old, and since I was a teenager I’ve felt embarrassed to be an American. I didn’t want to be associated with the reckless consumerism, the racism, the violent greed I tied with our history and our current system– character flaws I had learned to despise growing up in Liberal– and Quaker– circles.
It was through difficult open-minded conversations that I finally realized that my disassociation would not change a powerful country that desperately needs to change. I needed to be an American. I needed to be heard as one, and to be heard, I needed to speak.
But I thought I was already speaking, right? I told Facebook how I felt, and my liberal friends supported me with dozens of clicks. I complained to my mom about the broken system. She was very sympathetic. But eventually I had to admit that, although my mom is important, and social media is a critical tool, the reality is that sweeping political change comes from …policy.
And did you know that our representatives are hired by their constituents to take our concerns to the nation’s government? Since none of my representatives have accepted my friend requests (lol), I’m stuck with writing to them and meeting with them to let them know how I want to be represented. It’s still a little overwhelming, because the system is complicated, and what impresses me over and over again is how easily FCNL prepares ordinary people to talk to their representatives.
The bottom line is: You don’t need to be an expert. You just have to be a human.
Bring your human experience with you, and tell your story; you are a lobbyist. Every time you tell someone what you need, you are a lobbyist. You can do this. And you have an incredible opportunity in the resources that FCNL provides at Spring Lobby Weekend (March 18-21, 2017)– this year the issue focus is eliminating economic injustice (specifically addressing healthcare and poverty in the U.S.)
If you are affiliated with PYM and are 18-35ish, the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting can provide funds for your registration as well as travel and housing. Check it out here.
More about Spring Lobby Weekend.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I love Spring Lobby Weekend. I LOVE IT.
– Joey Hartmann-Dow, Lehigh Valley Monthly Meeting
P.S. How many PYM YAFs can you spot in this video??
Reposted, with permission, from Joey’s Earth 4 President blog, which you should definitely check out.
Daine Randall, Executive Secretary of Friends Committee on National Legislation was recently profiled in The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress. Cited in particular is the work done in support of the “Iran Agreement” where PYM Friends lobbied effectively in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
From the article:
Randall, 60, is an optimist, and her faith in humanity is nearly universal. She cites increasing studies around the world, particularly at universities and nongovernment organizations, on nonviolent conflict resolution.
“We’re beginning to see a different way that human beings can live together in the world,” she said. “And despite all the problems we have and all the violence we see in many places, and the willingness to disregard science or to be self-centered, I feel like we’re evolving.”
Connecting to this work, friends in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting have recently formed a Legislative Policy Collaborative with the following mission:
Visiting PYM monthly meetings to support their witness and collaborate on effective national policy goals. Encouraging monthly meetings to participate in the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Priorities Process. Supporting monthly meeting FCNL contacts, and communication between meetings and the FCNL Representatives.
Read the entire article about FCNL here.
Last November, over 20 PYM Friends joined hundreds of others in Washington DC to train and take action with Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) at the semi-annual Quaker Lobbying Weekend. While for some Friends this weekend is a time of learning new strategies and practicing new approaches, for others it is a familiar continuation of ongoing efforts in which they have been involved for years.
This year the lobbying focus was centered on encouraging the Senate to provide bipartisan support for introducing the Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2016 (S.2551). Both newbies to Lobbying Weekend, including the PYM General Secretary, and old hands helped create a grassroots advocacy force for good that has resulted in success!
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), joined by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and several others, has introduced legislation that would authorize a permanent, inter-agency Atrocities Prevention Board that will focus the U.S. government at the highest levels on early prevention of violent conflict as an essential part of our national security strategy. The legislation would permanently authorize the Atrocities Prevention Board, establish the Complex Crises Fund, mandate training for U.S. Foreign Service Officers and require reports to Congress from the State Department and the Director of National Intelligence.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today if not for the incredible lobbying that happened in November,” reports Theo Sitther of FCNL. “In fact, [when we met with] Sen. Tillis’ office — the only Republican on the bill so far — they directly attribute his co-sponsorship to the meeting they had with the North Carolina delegation in November.”
FCNL says that introducing the bill is just beginning, and they encourage Friends to help build greater bipartisan support to move the bill through the Senate. A talking points list of 6 reasons the Act is a good idea, as well as an action toolkit, can be found as part of Theo Sitther’s FCNL staff blog.
Whether or not you were part of Lobbying Weekend, you may feel called to contact your senator or take other action in solidarity with this effort. “The reason we are at this point now is because of work that was strategically planned and acted on,” says Christie Duncan-Tessmer. “All of our meetings played a role in that.”
