Hill Day Recap:
Over the course of two days, Emgage staff, volunteers, community members and partner organizations convened in Washington D.C. for a two-day Capitol Hill event. The Hill Day was in support of anit-hate crimes legislation and to ensure that American Muslim voters are connected with their elected officials.
Day 2, July 20, 2017
On July 20, our team of 50+ Emgage members and supporters began the day with a breakfast, where Rep. Keith Ellison spoke about the importance of being engaged politically. Our teams then hit both the House of Representatives and the Senate and met with both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. By the end of the day, we had met with over 70 offices!
Day 1 – July 19, 2017
On July 19, 2017, Emgage coordinated a briefing session for participants to learn from subject matter experts about the extent of the hate crime problem and how it is particularly affecting the Muslim community. Current and former U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, a former White House official, and a member of the Stop Hate Project shared key information with participants.
For example, in 2017, over 80 percent of all hate crimes and incidents reported against religious groups affected Muslims. Participants learned how to more effectively work with DOJ and other government agencies in order to tackle this problem.
Atop of our agenda was passage of H.Res. 257, which urges greater action by local and federal agencies to ensure better data reporting and analysis, and stronger support for affected communities, following hate crime incidents. This is the House version of Senate Resolution 118, which passed in April.
We also sought support for H.R. 1730 and S. 994, two bills that would create stronger sentencing for attacks against houses of worship. We registered our concerns regarding repealing the Affordable Care Act without a viable alternative, and lastly, encouraged members to take stronger public positions in support of the MASA community.
We will follow up with all of the members whom we met with to ensure a continued partnership on all the issues that we care about. Keep an eye on our website to learn more about our Hill Day and how you too can get Emgaged!