{"id":6218,"date":"2017-12-03T10:21:51","date_gmt":"2017-12-03T15:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/?p=6218"},"modified":"2018-02-09T13:25:17","modified_gmt":"2018-02-09T18:25:17","slug":"connecting-to-know-peace-during-dc-advocacy-days-new-cosponsors-to-peace-legislation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/connecting-to-know-peace-during-dc-advocacy-days-new-cosponsors-to-peace-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting To Know Peace During DC Advocacy Days &#038; New Cosponsors to Peace Legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>\u201cWhat you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Jane Goodall<\/p>\n<p>We take peacebuilding to Washington each year because, as one San Diego high school student said, \u201cWe have never known peace in our lives.\u201d In fact, as a country, the United States has been at peace only 21 entire years since its birth during the Revolutionary War. (Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2017\/ HR 1111, Finding 3.)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We take peacebuilding to our legislators for our children and the generations to come. They deserve a different world than one of bullying, domestic violence, violence in our communities, a divisive\/ hate-promoting and dysfunctional culture and endless wars.\u00a0 Our children are asking us to \u2018stay woke\u2019 and to be the peace. \u00a0We want a nation that treasures all who live here.\u00a0 A San Diego student wrote that the Department of Peacebuilding is about\u00a0<strong>putting the humanity back into being human<\/strong>. Peacebuilding is a solution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I.\u00a0\u00a0OVERVIEW:\u00a0 SOMETHING\u2019S HAPPENIN\u2019 HERE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In October, shortly after Gandhi\u2019s birthday (10\/2), a small group of long-time Department of Peacebuilding (DoP\/ HR 1111) supporters went to Washington, D.C. to advocate for a U.S. Department of Peacebuilding and other peace-related legislation.\u00a0 This resulted in approximately\u00a0<strong>53\u00a0new cosponsors<\/strong>\u00a0and connections with the offices of\u00a0<strong>128+ members of Congress and Senators.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 2017 DoP advocacy team included Anne Creter (NJ), Karen Johnson (IL), Doug Merritt (CA), Nancy Merritt (CA), Kendra Mon (CA), Sister Maryann Mueller (CT), Debra Poss (GA) and Cetta Smart (IL). For some meetings, Sharon Hill (GA) participated by phone. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We did not go alone.\u00a0 We took the support of DoP advocates who AMPLIFIED our voices by phoning\/ writing from their home districts to members of Congress urging them to cosponsor DoP legislation.<\/p>\n<p>We also delivered heartfelt\u00a0<strong>letters<\/strong>\u00a0from the San Diego, CA community, including students, San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole, e3 Civic High School CEO Helen Griffith, All In San Diego Founder Lan E. Jefferson, Bishop George D. McKinney, Grandmother Cynthia Gilliam, and Daniel Horton.\u00a0 In letter after letter, this community\u00a0<strong>urged Congress to make peace the priority and policy of this nation and to establish a DoP.<\/strong>\u00a0 While we were in DC, some of these same San Diego students and community leaders also visited Congress, went to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and participated \u2013 along with others \u2013 in the \u201c<strong>Million Youth Peace March<\/strong>\u201d from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial on 10\/7\/17.\u00a0\u00a0<strong>For more information and photos, see separate article<\/strong>\u00a0entitled\u00a0<em>Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority<\/em>.\u00a0 (https:\/\/peacealliance.kontribune.com\/articles\/8465)<\/p>\n<p><strong>We went to Washington, D.C. for many reasons.\u00a0 \u201c<\/strong>A poster from the UN Refugee Agency says the only thing stronger than fear is hope.\u00a0 I took peacebuilding to Washington\u00a0<strong>to work for hope over fear<\/strong>.\u00a0 I went to Washington to say our nation is about compassion, not cruelty,\u201d said Nancy Merritt.\u00a0 \u201cI went to Lobby Days to\u00a0<strong>increase the number of co-sponsors<\/strong>\u00a0on the DoP bill, the Limited Nuclear Strike bill, the No Bail bill and the Atrocities Prevention bill.\u00a0 I also went to D. C. to connect with Congressional staff,\u201d said Debra Poss.\u00a0 \u201cI always look for an opportunity to advocate for peace.\u00a0 After what happened in Las Vegas the Sunday evening before I was so glad to be doing something to try to\u00a0<strong>increase peace in our world<\/strong>,\u201d said Maryann Mueller.\u00a0 Karen Johnson said, \u201cI feel a responsibility to do all I can each year to advocate for peacebuilding in America and the world, now that I know world peace is possible, yet it will take a lot of people working toward it to achieve it.\u201d\u00a0 Kendra Mon said she went to lend her weight on the scales of government and to help create a culture of peace.<\/p>\n<p>Our\u00a0<strong>overall accomplishments<\/strong>\u00a0were about connection and advancing peacebuilding legislation.\u00a0 Maryann Mueller valued meeting the people from Peace Alliance and meeting the legislative aides, especially in her home district. \u201cI felt most people were happy to discuss peacebuilding\u2014again it could have been that so many people felt crushed by what had happened in Las Vegas.\u00a0 Peacebuilding could have seemed like \u201ca breath of fresh air\u201d for some.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are staying the course, advocating for peacebuilding &#8212; no small thing. \u00a0Each year we make new friends, learn more, and spread more information. \u00a0My mother used to spend her birthday every year, attending the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting and advocating for a change in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj7gIGxo6jXAhVN9WMKHY88CPkQFghCMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdsm.psychiatryonline.org%2Fdoi%2Fbook%2F10.1176%2Fappi.books.9780890425596&amp;usg=AOvVaw2NkaXKT7OKEQPTMfqc_jJx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"external\">Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/a>\u00a0that would eliminate\u00a0homosexuality as a mental illness. \u00a0Ultimately, she and her allies were successful. \u00a0I think we need to\u00a0<strong>stay the course for our own well-being and the well-being of our country<\/strong>,\u201d said Kendra Mon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>II.\u00a0\u00a0ACCOMPLISHMENTS &amp; THE NUMBERS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During our advocacy for 7 peace-related initiatives, 53 legislators signed on as new cosponsors.\u00a0 We visited office relating to approximately 40 of those new cosponsors\/ sponsors.<\/p>\n<p>Leading up to and following Advocacy Days,\u00a0<strong>6 members of Congress signed on as DoP cosponsors<\/strong>:\u00a0 Rep. Karen Bass (CA), Rep. William Lacy Clay (MO), Rep. Dwight Evans (PA), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX) and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (NY).\u00a0 As of 11\/10\/17 there are 37 DoP cosponsors.\u00a0 Highlights of Advocacy Days include:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contacts &amp; Legislative Visits<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A team of 8 individuals from 5 states visited at least\u00a0<strong>128<\/strong>\u00a0legislative offices in Washington DC, including 116 members of Congress and 12 Senators<\/li>\n<li>The 128 DC visits included 115 Democrats and 13 Republicans<\/li>\n<li>While we visited Congressional offices, individuals from such states as CA FL and MA contacted legislators asking them to cosponsor HR 1111 and other peace-related bills<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Deliveries, Messages &amp; Connections<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We delivered heartfelt\u00a0<strong>letters<\/strong>\u00a0urging peace and a Department of Peacebuilding from San Diego, CA students and community to over\u00a0<strong>100\u00a0<\/strong>Congressional offices,<\/li>\n<li>We delivered to many members of Congress\u00a0<strong>683 petition signatures<\/strong>\u00a0urging co-sponsorship of HR 1111, almost all from CA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Legislation &amp; New Cosponsors<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We advocated for legislation to create a U.S. Department of Peacebuilding and for six other<strong>\u00a0bills<\/strong>, including restrictions on first use of nuclear weapons, prevention of genocide and other atrocities, and reforms to the criminal justice system of money bail, which penalizes poverty.<\/li>\n<li>In the process of our advocacy from 9\/1\/17 to 11\/10\/17, approximately\u00a0<strong>53<\/strong>\u00a0new cosponsors signed on to the 7 bills for which we lobbied<\/li>\n<li>We visited office relating to approximately\u00a0<strong>40<\/strong>\u00a0of those new cosponsors\/ sponsors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Details About Bills &amp; New Cosponsors During Our Advocacy (9\/1\/17 \u2013 11\/10\/17)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>HR 1111\/Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2017 &#8211;\u00a0 6 signed on as new cosponsors. We visited\u00a0<strong>7<\/strong>related offices, including all 6 new cosponsors and the office of the sponsor<\/li>\n<li>HR 669\/ Restricting the First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017-\u00a0 22 signed on as new cosponsors.\u00a0 We visited at least\u00a0<strong>18\u00a0<\/strong>related offices, including 17 cosponsors the office of the bill sponsor.<\/li>\n<li>S 200\/ Restricting the First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017 &#8211; 2 signed on as new cosponsors.\u00a0 We visited\u00a0<strong>2\u00a0<\/strong>related offices, including the office of 1 new cosponsor and the sponsor.<\/li>\n<li>HR 3030\/ Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2017- 19 signed on as new cosponsors.\u00a0 We visited at least\u00a0<strong>8<\/strong>\u00a0of these offices<\/li>\n<li>S 1158\/ Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2017- 2 signed on as new cosponsors. \u00a0We visited\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>\u00a0of these offices.<\/li>\n<li>HR 1437\/No Money Bail Act of 2017 &#8211; 2 signed on as cosponsors.\u00a0<em>\u00a0<\/em>We visited\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>\u00a0related offices, including those of the 2 new cosponsors and the sponsor<em>.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>S 1593\/ Pretrial Safety and Integrity Act of 2017 \u2013 there have been no new cosponsors since 9\/1\/17.\u00a0 We visited\u00a0<strong>1\u00a0<\/strong>office &#8212; the bill\u2019s sponsor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Other Activities<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We attended Congressional budget debates<\/li>\n<li>We strengthened our connections with each other<\/li>\n<li>We also joined with young people from San Diego and elsewhere for the Million Youth Peace March from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>III.\u00a0\u00a0SIGNS OF THE TIMES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We arrived in Washington on the heels of Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, the unthinkable murder of 58 people and injury to more than 500 others in a Las Vegas shooting. \u00a0Washington and the nation was also in the midst of daily man-made crises \u2026 voter suppression; suppression of the rights of women, immigrants, and minorities; degradations of environmental protections; multiple attempts to eliminate the Affordable Healthcare Act, and more.\u00a0 Investigations into Russian interference with US elections, election collusion, multiple sexual harassment revelations involving numerous sectors of the country were surfacing.\u00a0 The devastating CA fires were a few days in the future. There were discussions and\u00a0<strong><em>inactions<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0about common sense gun control.\u00a0 Congress was debating the national budget.\u00a0 All of this was reflected in the\u00a0<strong>signs of the times<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>At legislative offices were old and new signs. \u00a0For a long time now, some members of Congress have posted photos of our\u00a0<strong>fallen soldiers<\/strong>\u00a0outside of their offices (Rep. Walter Jones of NC \u2013 Fallen Heroes\/ Operation Iraqi Freedom for Eastern North Carolina and from Camp Lejeune\/ Operation Enduring Freedom and Rep. Blake Farenthold of TX &#8211; Faces of Our Fallen).<\/p>\n<p>By the office of<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Nevada Rep. Dina Titus was a sign of\u00a0<strong>fallen Americans due to gun violence<\/strong>\u00a0as the\u00a0<strong>Elvis Presley cardboard cutout now wore a \u201cVegas Strong\u201d sash.<\/strong>\u00a0 Also new was an ever-increasing number of signs posted by legislators in the halls and Congressional offices \u2013 signs reflecting frustrations with the DC political climate and myriad causes, some with sports references, some acknowledged that the\u00a0<strong>House of Representatives is the people\u2019s house<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201c<strong>Alternative Facts Free Zone\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(Rep. Ted Lieu &#8211; CA)<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cHANDS OFF Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(Rep. Jan Schakowsky &#8211; IL)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cDisarm Hate,\u201d \u201cBlack Lives Matter,\u201d \u201cRefugees Welcome,\u201d \u201cHands Off My Education,\u201d \u201cWomen\u2019s Rights Are Human Rights,\u201d\u00a0<strong>\u201cLove Trumps Hate\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(Rep. Barbara Lee &#8211; CA)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cRefugees Welcome\u201d and\u00a0<strong>\u201cWe All Belong Here.\u00a0 We Will Defend Each Other\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(Rep. Andre Carson &#8211; IN)<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cDisarm Hate\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(Rep. Anna Eshoo &#8211; CA)<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201c#HateFreeAmerica\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(Rep. Pramila Jayapal &#8211; WA)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFriends of Coal\u201d from a Senate office<\/li>\n<li>A large \u201cLA\u201d Dodgers sign and multicolored flag (Rep. Jimmy Gomez \u2013 CA)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cHouse Divided\u201d Michigan University\/ Michigan State poster (Rep. Daniel Kildee \u2013 MI)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u201cThis Office Belongs to the People of Alabama\u2019s First Congressional District\u201d (Rep. Bradley Byrne \u2013 AL)<\/li>\n<li>\u201c<strong>This Office Belongs to the People of Florida\u2019s 13th Congressional District<\/strong>\u201d (Rep. Charlie Crist &#8211; FL)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>IV.\u00a0\u00a0STANDING FOR COMMON SENSE GUN CONTROL \u2013 AGAIN<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, and even as we visited Congressional offices, many Representatives stood on the steps of the Capitol to once again to call for common sense gun control legislation.\u00a0 Speakers included former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), herself a victim of gun violence; Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force; and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL).\u00a0 Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), said\u00a0<strong>this Congress has failed the American people and asked what is the blood price to finally enact gun control legislation.<\/strong>\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tFYyyNyNDTE&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;t=1m48s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"external\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tFYyyNyNDTE&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;t=1m48s<\/a><\/p>\n<p>When we were at the Senate Hart Office Building, we ran into a man from Australian who was intrigued by legislation to create a Department of Peacebuilding.\u00a0 He said he was tired of Americans talking the successful elimination of guns in Australia and the resulting dramatic reduction in violence because all they do is talk about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>V.\u00a0\u00a0LEGISLATIVE VISITS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During our visits to the offices 128+ legislators, we learned about their connections to the community, their legislative priorities and the backgrounds of heir staffers.\u00a0 We took with us the intent to connect and materials relating to peacebuilding and peacebuilding legislation.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>A.\u00a0\u00a0Offices We Visited<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We visited all\u00a0<strong>current cosponsors<\/strong>\u00a0of HR 1111 and many\u00a0<strong>former cosponsors<\/strong>.\u00a0 We visited\u00a0<strong>45 CA members of Congress<\/strong>, including all 39 Democrats and 5 of its 14 Republicans.\u00a0 We visited\u00a0<strong>potential Democratic House cosponsors<\/strong>\u00a0from at least 19 states, including AL, CA, CT, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, LA, MA, MN, MO, MS, NC, NY, OH, TN, VA, and WA and\u00a0<strong>potential Republican House cosponsors<\/strong>\u00a0from CA, GA, NJ, SD, and WV.\u00a0 On the\u00a0<strong>Senate side<\/strong>, we visited Democrats and Republican from AZ, CA, CT, IL, MA, and WV. \u00a0We also visited some members of the Congressional\u00a0<strong>Oversight and Government Reform Committee<\/strong>\u00a0to which HR 1111 is assigned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>B.\u00a0\u00a0Conversations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During the conversations, staffers told about their backgrounds. We met with staffers who had majored in International Studies or Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS). \u00a0 The mentor of one staffer had worked with former child soldiers (office of Rep. David McKinley \u2013 R-WV). \u00a0One staffer was a War College graduate and at least 2 were military fellows (offices of Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)).\u00a0 There are currently approximately 22 Navy Fellows and a total of 85 military fellows serving in the offices of Representatives who are on the Armed Services Committee or make military-related decisions.\u00a0\u00a0<strong>We hope for the day Peace Fellows work in legislative offices throughout Capitol Hill.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We visited a number of offices where the Representative and\/or staffers were from\u00a0<strong>hurricane-impacted areas<\/strong>\u00a0in Puerto Rico, Dominica, Florida and Houston.\u00a0 We visited offices where Representatives were working on budget issues, gun control, disaster relief, reversing mass incarceration, veterans\u2019 issues and the Suicide Prevention for Veterans Act, education, and environmental issues.\u00a0 Rep. Karen Bass talked about her advocacy on behalf of this nation\u2019s 400,000 foster youth. \u00a0<strong>One staffer told us they are working as hard as they can to guard progress that had been made prior to the current administration.<\/strong>\u00a0 When discussing a comment by one Southern Republican Representative who said\u00a0<strong>he was tired of going to so many funerals<\/strong>, a staffer in the office of a Southern Democrat\u00a0<strong>said that is not left, that is human<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0Connection Practices<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before going into each legislative office, we focused on circle guidelines and connection practices:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Speak from you heart:\u00a0 your truth, your experiences, your perspectives<\/li>\n<li>Listen from the heart: Let go of stories that make it hard to hear each other<\/li>\n<li>Trust that you will know what to say:\u00a0 no need to rehearse<\/li>\n<li>Say just enough:\u00a0 Without feeling rushed, be concise and considerate of the time of others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We took with us the message to\u00a0<strong>go for the connection, not the convincing<\/strong>. \u201cBefore we entered each office, we focused on connecting.\u00a0 Even when we visited office where the legislator likely does not agree with the need to create a DoP, focusing on connecting made me keep in mind that each legislator has his or her own needs, style and strengths.\u00a0 I know some are focused on a different idea of security than I have, but I went to each office hoping that someday we will all understand what it means to have a culture of peace.\u00a0 I let them know we are working for peace for the long haul and that we want to connect on that,\u201d said Doug Merritt.<\/p>\n<p><strong>VI.\u00a0\u00a0MESSAGES FROM SAN DIEGO &amp; MILLION YOUTH PEACE MARCH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In addition to\u00a0<strong>delivering letters<\/strong>\u00a0from the San Diego community, we participated with San Diego students and community leaders in the\u00a0<strong>Million Youth Peace March<\/strong>\u00a0from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial on 10\/7\/17.\u00a0 Singer\/actress Kitra Williams organized this march.\u00a0 Young people and community and spiritual leaders, and others from CA, DC, GA, PA, VA and other areas attended the march and participated in the program.<\/p>\n<p><strong>VII.\u00a0\u00a0AMPLIFY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Advocates from CA, FL, MA \u00a0AMPLIFID our visits by calling from home to urge their own Representatives and others to cosponsor the DoP legislation. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During her calls, Maggi Koren (CA) urged staffers and Representative to\u00a0<em>just read<\/em>\u00a0the DoP legislation and promised they would be inspired.\u00a0 Pat Simon (MA) wrote to Rep. Katherine Clark (MA), \u201cA Government structure to support best practices and programs for violence prevention and intervention, will be a counterweight to the Department of Defense, will inspire attitude and thinking-change in the country, and hope in the world!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nancy Kivette (FL) wrote to Rep. Charlie Christ (D-FL), \u201cLast weekend, we saw members of hate groups emboldened to march unmasked in public, unafraid to threaten our personal safety and transgress patriotic values of respect, diversity, and inclusion. One of them murdered Heather D. Heyer.\u201d &#8220;<strong>If we allow a hateful fringe to fray our foundation of liberty and justice for all, we can expect no less than an absolute unraveling of the glorious tapestry that is our nation.&#8221;<\/strong>\u00a0Calling for a DoP, Nancy Kivette urged: \u201c\u2026 Now is the time to build a resilient, everlasting peace one concrete step at a time.\u00a0<strong>Let\u2019s mark this moment in U.S. history as racism\u2019s final gasp forever<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anne Creter reported that when she dropped by Rep. John Larson&#8217;s (CT) office, the receptionist said they had already received phone calls about DoP.<\/p>\n<p><strong>VIII.\u00a0\u00a0CONNECTIONS &amp; MOMENTS OF HOPE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While we experienced a few disappointments, we made many hopeful connections. Unlike in 2016 when we met with his chief of staff, the office of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) did\u00a0not\u00a0respond to our request for a meeting. In a couple of offices, staffers were not welcoming \u2013 we, and they, could have been more sensitive to the needs of each other. \u00a0Kendra Mon summed up our lessons learned:\u00a0 To continue to work harder to be the peace in all our interactions while lobbying and at home.<\/p>\n<p>We ran into several legislators: \u00a0Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).\u00a0 Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), came out of her office as DoP advocates were taking photos.<\/p>\n<p>Some of our\u00a0<strong>moments of hope and connection included<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When\u00a0<strong>Rep. Karen Bass<\/strong>\u00a0walked into the office, we mentioned seeing her recently at the CA Democratic Party Executive Board meeting and asked if she would cosponsor HR 1111. \u00a0She turned to her staffer and said to put her on the bill.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Kendra Mon said, \u201cWhen we went into\u00a0<strong>Rep. Andre Carson&#8217;s<\/strong>\u00a0office (D-IN), he greeted us warmly, which was a surprise as our appointment was with his aide, Nathan Bennett. \u00a0Nancy said: \u00a0<em>It&#8217;s an honor.<\/em>\u00a0Rep. Carson said:\u00a0<em>The honor is mine. \u00a0<\/em>It turned out our understanding that Rep. Carson had signed onto HR 1111 was some sort of computer glitch, but at the time we were very excited and upbeat. \u00a0 Rep. Carson referred to Bennett as Nate the Great and ushered us toward his office. \u00a0Nate told us he had been following the DoP legislation and saw that the language had become less aggressive.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sen. Tammy Duckworth\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>(D-IL) staffers were open to looking at HR 1111.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0(D-TX) staffer said her boss would likely sign on to HR 1111, which she did during our Advocacy Day visits.\u00a0 She is the founder of the Children\u2019s Caucus.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Rep. Ro Khanna\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>(D-CA) legislative director, Geo Saba, was very helpful and interested in the legislation. \u00a0Rep. Khanna\u2019s grandfather\u2019s was active in the Gandhi Independence Movement and served several years in jail for promoting human rights.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Prior to our first meeting and as we took photos outside of\u00a0<strong>Rep. Barbara Lee\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0(D-CA) office, someone came along and offered to take photos of the entire group. This turned out to be Rep. Lee\u2019s Legislative Assistant Maria Elena Pino, with whom we were scheduled to meet. \u00a0We had a great meeting with Elena Pino and appreciated her time, input and hospitality.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>As Debra Poss waited in the lobby, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) walked out of his office and recognized her.\u00a0 \u201c<strong>Rep. John Lewis<\/strong>\u00a0humbly reached down to pick up my bag as it fell off the chair,\u201d she said.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>We visited the office of\u00a0<strong>Sen. John McCain<\/strong>\u00a0(R-AZ) to deliver a thank you note for his recent vote which resulted in retention of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).\u00a0 \u201cThe staff appreciated the note and I felt we had a good heart connection on what the Senator will do with the time he has left,\u201d said Karen Johnson.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>At an open meeting with a staffer of\u00a0<strong>Rep. Betty McCullom<\/strong>\u00a0(D-MN), we heard about the Representative\u2019s humanitarian work and how it resonates with so much of what HR 1111 will do.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>At\u00a0<strong>Rep. David B. McKinley&#8217;s (R-WV) office<\/strong>, Kendra Mon met Eleanor Weaver. \u00a0\u201cIt was her first day on staff. She didn&#8217;t even have business cards yet. \u00a0As I was talking about peacebuilding, she was nodding, expressing agreement and expanding what I was saying.\u201d \u00a0The staffer has a background in International Security and Peace and Conflict Studies. \u00a0 \u201cShe said:\u00a0<em>Thanks for stopping in. \u00a0You made my day,\u201d\u00a0<\/em>said Kendra Mon<em>.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Maryann Mueller was encouraged when\u00a0<strong>Rep. Chris Murphy\u2019<\/strong>s (D-CT) aide said they planned to sign on to the supplementary bills we recommended.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Rep. Jared Polis\u00a0<\/strong>(D-CO) appeared at the front desk of his office when Kendra Mon and Debra Poss delivered a packet.\u00a0 \u201cRep. Polis thought we were constituents and was so happy to see us and he seemed a bit disappointed we weren\u2019t,\u201d Debra Poss said.\u00a0 They thanked Rep. Polis for being a long-time DoP cosponsor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>We had a very cordial meeting with staffer Jacob Hochberg from the office\u00a0<strong>Rep. Nydia Velazquez<\/strong>(D-NY).\u00a0 He told us it was not if, but when his boss would cosponsor HR 1111, which she did within days of our visit.\u00a0 Rep. Velazquez, who is from Puerto Rico, lost a home there due to Hurricane Maria and was working for relief for that island.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Watching\u00a0<strong>Rep. John Yarmuth<\/strong>\u00a0(D-KY)<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>talk about the budget on the evening of 10\/4\/17, we saw him hug a Republican member of Congress he had just debated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>During the meetings and in post Advocacy Days e-mails, many thanked us for our work.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>IX.\u00a0\u00a0ONWARD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Karen Johnson talked about our trips to Washington, D.C. to advocate for peacebuilding.\u00a0 It is \u201cgood to remember,\u00a0<strong>no matter how small the progress may seem from year to year, we are doing something that makes a difference.<\/strong>\u00a0 Certainly, in the way we present ourselves and our case for a DoP, but also how\u00a0<strong>many pieces of the DoP are in various stages of implementation locally and nationally since the Department was mind-mapped in the 2001 bill and even back to the 1790s<\/strong>when Benjamin Rush and Benjamin Banneker drafted\u00a0<em>A Plan for Peace<\/em>\u00a0that included a Secretary of Peace&#8230;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Dalai Lama<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>said, \u201c<strong>All problems on this earth seem to be manmade.\u00a0 If we can create them, we can use our efforts to solve them.<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We take peacebuilding to Washington each year because, as one San Diego high school student said, \u201cWe have never known peace in our lives.\u201d<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":6219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,34,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-homepage","category-issues-advocacy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Connecting To Know Peace During DC Advocacy Days &amp; 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