ESR student Karen A. Bradley shares her thoughts after attending Friends Committee on Legislation's Spring Lobby Weekend:
Over Spring Break I had the opportunity to attend the
“Unlock Justice” Lobby Weekend sponsored by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, in Washington DC. As a nontraditional student, I was--let's just
say--“a tad” bit older than most of the participants, about 400 Quaker and
Quaker-inspired high school and college students. The purpose of the event was
to train and excite young activists in lobbying as an advocacy practice. Participants spent three days learning about
the issue and one day actually lobbying their state senators and
representatives on Capital Hill. It was a high energy event to say the least. These young adults were amped up on their
political and religious passions. Even
the moments of Quaker silence shimmered in palpable effervescence.
Sentencing reform was the substantive focus of the lobby
weekend. In particular, mandatory sentencing, especially for small drug crimes,
that has filled our prison systems with essentially non-violent, minimal crime
offenders who end up with very long maximum sentences. There is also evidence
that this affects poor and minority communities disproportionately. Much needs
to be done to reform these laws. That is
why FCNL chose this issue for the lobby weekend. It is an essential step in having a more fair
and just approach to imprisonment in America.
