A Brief Report from Interfaith Advocacy Day 2016

On February 4, 2016, Interfaith Advocacy Day brought nearly 300 strong and faithful advocates to Olympia. Attendees represented 39 of our state’s 49 legislative districts, ranging from Wenatchee to the Olympic Peninsula, the San Juan Islands to Vancouver, and all along the I-5 and I-90 corridors. We had fruitful gatherings with committed advocates in Yakima and Spokane last week as well.

They participated in 108 meetings with their elected officials and/or legislative aides, sharing their perspectives on issues on FAN’s Legislative Agenda. We were welcomed by interfaith reflections from Rev. Dr. Marcia Patton of the Evergreen Baptist Association, Tom Ewell from Whidbey Island Friends Meeting, and Rabbi Ruth Zlotnick from Temple Beth Am.

Participants caucused by legislative district, and then attended workshops on FAN’s priority issues: wealth inequality, presented by Joe Kendo from the Washington State Labor Council; housing and homelessness by Michael Ramos from the Church Council of Greater Seattle and Phoebe Nelson, a Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance board member; mental health by Lauren Simonds from the National Alliance on Mental Illness; the environment by Jessie Dye from Earth Ministry; dismantling the culture of violence by Velma Veloria and Paul Benz from FAN; and Lobbying 101, presented by FAN’s volunteer lobbyist, Trevor Sandison.

Legislators joined us throughout the day to address the crowd: Representatives Moscoso, Ortiz-Self, and Robinson, and Senators Jayapal, Miloscia, and O’Ban.

You can view more photos of the day on our Facebook page or at the hashtag #2016IFAD.

Our other 2016 Advocacy Days were held:

Spokane: January 30, 2016
Yakima: February 6, 2016