A Quick Update from Olympia!
Hi Church,
Thanks for supporting me in my trip down to Olympia last Thursday for the Faith Action Network’s annual Interfaith Advocacy Day. This is the first in-person FAN Advocacy Day, so it was particularly inspiring to go down and see friends, colleagues, and allies in the work of justice! I traveled with one other Bellingham person from another church, and we were also able to pick up someone in Shoreline who needed a ride.
The day included a large gathering with a greeting from the region’s ELCA (Lutheran) Bishops, and a powerful message from Re. My-Linh Thai of the 41st District. Rep. Thai is the first refugee to serve in the WA Legislature, and is a powerful advocate for just taxation, workers’ rights, and more. She invited us to consider letting our policy-making be led by love!
My fellow 42nd District folks and I got to meet with staff from each of our legislators, and even ran into Senator Sharon Shewmake as she came out of an elevator!
As usual, I was a little overwhelmed to be in the capitol; there’s so much energy, so many bills, and so many people that it can all be a bit much. But also as usual, I was grounded in the love of the Spirit and the support of my church, and I hope I was able to speak cogently about the issues and legislation before us.
I know some of you wanted to be with us in Olympia and weren’t able to join us- as always, please feel free to reach out if you’d like support in connecting with legislators. Please also reach out if you know you want to get more involved but aren’t sure how- there are some great tools to make the maze a little simpler these days! There’s lots of important work to do these days, in Olympia and elsewhere, and I hope we all have the courage and collaboration it takes to find our place in the movement!
Take care,
Davi
