On a mission to learn about and practice non-violence, peace, faith in action, solidarity and l-o-v-e, on November 13th to 15th, Therese, Cassie, Greg, Janine and I ventured off to D.C. in a Campus Ministry van, with an SGA gas card and enough PB & J supplies to feed us for a week (with the proper peanut butter to jelly ratio. After a week we would have been rationing jelly and possibly eating open faced sandwiches--and that's a crime) courtousey of Activism Club. Thank you to the trifecta of Stonehill organizations that supported the trip.
Last but not least for thank yous--We stayed with Therese's Aunt--the most lovely woman who welcomed us into her home with lasagna, air mattresses and two precious dogs (and a cat...). We all agreed that our time in DC would not have been as wonderful if it weren't for the hospitality and home away from home that Therese's aunt offered us so graciously!
We were in D.C. at the conference center at Georgetown for the ISN Teach-In. ISN stands for Ignatian Solidarity Network. Check out more information here.
What's ISN? The Ignatian Solidarity Network brings members of Jesuit schools, parishes etc together by educating its members on social justice issues. The Teach-In is like a celebration of non-violence and peace.
Why did we go? Well...Stonehill is not a Jesuit school...but Stonehill students have been participating in the SOA vigil at Fort Benning Georgia for years. Coinciding with the protest at the gates of Fort Benning, the Teach-In is an annual event marking the anniversary of the slain Jesuits and laywomen of El Salvador by SOA graduates.
The ISN Teach-In is usually in Georgia as well at the same time as the vigil. This year, the ISN moved the teach-in to D.C. to allow for lobbying training and an advocacy day that allowed students to meet with Senators and their staffers to lobby for laws regarding specific social justice issues, namely the Dream Act, climate legislation and a bill to close the SOA. Therese and Janine were able to meet with Senator Scott Brown's staffers to lobby for the immigration reform, namely the Dream Act. We were all able to meet with Senator Kerry's staffers to discuss climate legislation and the Dream Act. It was a seriously awesome experience in "speaking truth to power" if you will.
I'm happy I'm finally posting about our experience. It took about a week for me to get my thoughts together on what actually happened, what I learned, who I met, how I felt during my time in D.C. I was lucky enough to reflect with Therese, Cassie, Greg and Janine during every spare moment we had while there. We all had a more formal reflection with MaryAnne and Joe from Campus Ministry and it was beautiful, uplifting and very much needed. All of the students/friends/mindful livers who went clearly soaked up everything--all the stories we listened to, all the empowering words and moments were heavy and a lot to carry on one's own. I'm so grateful to have been able to talk through what I was feeling with my wonderful friends who were there with me. Thank you all.
