FAN is grateful to the nearly 250 advocates who gathered in Olympia last Thursday, February 19, for Interfaith Advocacy Day, calling on legislators to Act on the Dream: Invest in the Common Good. Participants represented 36 legislative districts and attended 93 meetings with legislators/aides, addressing the five policy areas on FAN’s legislative agenda.

Interfaith reflections reminding us of the spiritual foundations for our advocacy were offered by Janjay Innis from First United Methodist Church in Tacoma; Michaelyn Olson, Olympia Zen Center; Rev. Emily Melcher, Olympia Unitarian Universalist; and Yasmine Arbob, Masjid Fidul-Islam, Olympia. Advocates then caucused by legislative district and made a plan for their legislative appointments. Workshops were offered in FAN’s five policy areas:

  • Wealth inequality by Kim Moses, organizer with SEIU 775
  • Budget by Kim Justice, Senior Budget Analyst with WA State Budget and Policy Center
  • Dismantling the culture of violence with Velma Veloria and Paul Benz, FAN
  • Housing and homelessness by Michael Ramos, Executive Director, Church Council of Greater Seattle and Phoebe Nelson, Women’s Resource Center, Wenatchee
  • Environment by Jessie Dye, Program and Outreach Director for Earth Ministry.

In addition to legislative appointments and hearings, the afternoon session included presentations by Rep. Timm Ormsby, Sen. Karen Keiser, and David Schumacher from the Governor’s Budget Office.

See images of the day in our Facebook photo album. If you didn’t get a chance to come to IFAD, there are still advocacy days coming up on issues FAN cares about. Mark your calendar for Hunger Action Day, March 9.

If you have any questions please contact FAN at fan@fanwa.org, or 206-625-9790.