Local peace group sends two young ‘peace lobbyists’ to Washington, D.C.
Posted By Brandon Reid On March 18, 2010 @ 12:28 pm In Happening Now | No Comments
From press release
Two Rockfordians will attend Ecumenical Advocacy Days, March 19-22. They will then lobby U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo (R-16) on issues such as immigration reform, opening our relationship with Cuba, and closing the School of Americas.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days is a four-day event where people from across the country come to D.C. to lobby Congress for much-needed change. A group from Illinois goes every year and participates in the Latin America Track. The local students will attend several workshops in preparation for meeting with congressional staffers.
Sunday, March 21, the two will participate in the Immigrant Rights Rally in front of the Capitol.
Then, Monday, March 22, they meet with their congressional officers.
A young Rock Valley College student, Chris Benson, and a local member of Progressive Meetup & MoveOn.org, Jude Wrzesinski, will represent Rockford Peace & Justice Action Committee, a local peace organization that helped raise funds to send them to D.C. for advocacy days.
Benson described himself: “I am a 22-year-old student at Rock Valley College. I am excited to be finishing my last semester of my associate’s degree, and I am looking forward to doing something positive with my life and making an impact for the better. I attended Faith Tabernacle School from preschool until sixth grade, was home-schooled for a year-and-a-half, went to RESA for eighth grade, then on to Jefferson for high school.
“I feel lucky that I have had a varied school background and have been fortunate to observe many different perspectives of the world. I studied Spanish for four years during high school and for two years during college. This has given me a deep love and respect for the Spanish language and the people who speak it.
“I will be attending the Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C., from March 19th-22nd,” Benson continued. “It is a chance for us to talk to our congressmen and urge them to pass sensible immigration reform that will help to keep families together. I am a struggling student, but I believe it is important to speak your mind and act on them when you believe in something.”
Benson also asked the community for financial support for his trip. “I would really appreciate support from any donations that would be possible,” he said. “Thank you so much for your time and sustenance. Peace.”
For more information, call Stanley Campbell, spokesman for Rockford Peace & Justice Action Committee, at (815) 964-7111.
Article printed from The Rock River Times: http://rockrivertimes.com
URL to article: http://rockrivertimes.com/2010/03/18/local-peace-group-sends-two-young-%e2%80%98peace-lobbyists%e2%80%99-to-washington-d-c/
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