Wilmington College’s annual Washington, D.C. Spring Lobby trip held virtually

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WILMINGTON — Washington, D.C. continues as the center of the federal government even during a pandemic, so one of Wilmington College’s signature hands-on learning opportunities for students also persevered this year in spite of COVID-19.

The College’s annual Spring Lobby Weekend to the nation’s capital was held virtually this year, March 20-22, with students gaining access to elected legislators and their staffs virtually instead of face-to-face on Capitol Hill.

The WC contingent of 30 again constituted the largest group among the 500 students from across the nation participating in the annual event sponsored by the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

Dr. Michael Snarr, professor of political science, said that, after the 2020 event was canceled in the early weeks of the pandemic, it was important to hold Spring Lobby Weekend this year regardless of the logistics.

“If we skipped another year, I feared some students might lose their enthusiasm. We didn’t want to lose our momentum,” he said about the 23rd annual event attended by WC students. “Students have come to expect this opportunity every spring, so we were determined that, ‘We will lobby!’”

He emphasized that government continues during a pandemic, so influencing elected officials must as well.

“Students need to understand that whether they lobby in person or virtually, they are still getting their message across to their elected representatives,” he said. “Your voice matters and you don’t have to be intimidated by politics or your elected officials — they are there to serve you.”

Snarr added that the 2021 theme is especially important to many students.

This year’s topic centered upon the timely issue of justice in policing and participants expressed to legislators the urgent need to end the crisis of systemic racism and militarization in policing. More than 140 congressional offices heard that message loud and clear from hundreds of college students.

Highlights included U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) breaking down the importance of the Justice in Policing Act legislation for which he is a lead sponsor and co-author, and U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, a Democrat from California’s 37th District, a co-author and lead sponsor of the House version of the proposed legislation.

While the pandemic and virtual format prevented this year’s participants from visiting favorite Washington, D.C. landmarks and meeting legislators face to face, Snarr noted the basic structure of Lobby Weekend was very similar to the traditional proceedings.

There were multiple panels (via Zoom) that taught the students how to lobby and educated them on the lobby topic.

Also, more was added this year for those interested in careers focused upon social justice and service.

Zoom provided a way for 30 WC students among 500 from across the country to participate in Spring Lobby Weekend.
https://www.wnewsj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2021/03/web1_LobbyWeekend.jpgZoom provided a way for 30 WC students among 500 from across the country to participate in Spring Lobby Weekend. Submitted photo

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