Update

New Mexico supporters of the Friends Committee on National Legislation have a special opportunity to meet Lacina Onco, Congressional Advocate on Native American Policy, on the weekend of March 10-11.

Recently, I visited Carnegie Mellon University and other colleges and universities in Pittsburgh, PA to recruit young adults to attend FCNL’s upcoming Spring Lobby Weekend on immigration reform. While I was there, I met Cristina, a freshman at CMU from the border community of Brownsville, TX. Cristina offered to share some of her experiences as a Mexican-American person living in a border community while immigration is such a live issue in Congress.

Quakers and friends are gathering in DC for the youth led #MarchforourLives rally and march on Washington March 24th, 2018. FCNL will open the Quaker Welcome Center as a hospitality space to support Friends and allies who will be at the rally.

On February 27, 2018, the House Liberty Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus co-hosted an ad-hoc hearing on repealing the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) and the need for Congress to have a full debate and vote on war.

What is Congress doing about gun violence? What will it take to change the culture of violence in our country that creates the conditions both for mass shootings and for the nearly 100 people who die each day from guns?

President Jefferson Keel of the National Congress of American Indians’ opening remarks of the 2018 State Of Indian Nations reminded the audience of the strength and resilience of Indian Country: “The State of Indian Nations is Strong, Resilient, and Everlasting.” He went on to say that Native people were, “here before all others, we are still here, we will ALWAYS be here.”

The Trump administration recently approved plans to impose work requirements on people relying on Medicaid in Kentucky and Indiana and seems poised to do the same for at least eight other states. Based on my experiences as an attorney and law professor representing low-income clients in Indiana, I can assure you that many people will fall through the cracks.

The first major interaction I had with FCNL was at Spring Lobby Weekend, our annual four-day conference that brings young adults to Washington DC to lobby their members of Congress. My experience at SLW profoundly shaped my view of FCNL and led me to where I am today- working as the Program Assistant for Human Rights and Civil Liberties.

While every Olympics is fraught with the political intrigue of hundreds of nations coming together under one roof, this Olympics felt different. The stakes seemed a little higher. And the prospect for diplomatic progress between North and South Korea felt closer than it has for a long time. Now, as the Olympics draw to a close, the U.S., North Korea, and South Korea each have to do their part to keep the diplomatic torch burning.

Friends Committee on National Legislation and Peace Direct co-hosted an event, A Business Plan for Peace: Investing in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in the Quaker Welcome Center, bringing together both peacebuilders and policymakers in a conversation highlighting the importance of locally led peacebuilding initiatives and advocating for more peaceful U.S. foreign policies.