UMR’s Capitol Hill Advocacy Day
In an effort to engage with decision makers in the United States, and advocate for specific legislative actions, the UMR Advocacy and Congressional Outreach Team took a trip to Capitol Hill last week. This effort was led by the Advocacy and Congressional Outreach Manager, Isra Chaker, as well as the two Advocacy and Congressional Outreach interns, Gihad Salih and Laraib Mughal. Many nonprofit organizations choose to meet with different Congressional offices to advocate for their legislative priorities and get their name circulating on Capitol Hill. UMR scheduled meetings with three different legislators’ offices.
UMR met with high-ranking staff members in the offices of Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Senator Jeff Merkley, and Senator Tammy Baldwin. The meetings were productive and the staffers were very receptive to UMR’s mission. UMR advocated for greater refugee support in the United States and an increase of awareness regarding Islamophobia, which has continued to be a growing concern for Muslim-American’s today. Additionally, Chaker opened up a dialogue with each office and was able to converse openly about the legislator’s upcoming agenda and recommended that UMR be used as a resource in future hearings regarding refugees, Islamophobia, or any related issues.
All in all, it was an incredibly successful day packed with a valuable experience for our interns and increased exposure of UMR to various legislators and their staff members on Capitol Hill.
