Sarah Machiko Haber is a member of Newtown Quaker Meeting, a theater artist, and a recent college graduate living in New York City. She will speak at the Newtown Friends Meetinghouse, 219 Court Street, Sunday, October 15 at 9:45 a.m. about her experience lobbying in Washington D.C. as a member of the Friends (Quakers) Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Advocacy Corps of young people from across the country.
Following the presentation, there will be Meeting for Worship at 11 a.m. with coffee and snacks served afterwards in the Gathering Room. Child Care is provided and the public is welcome at all events.
Founded in 1943, the FCNL lobbies Congress and the administration “to advance peace, justice, opportunity, and environmental stewardship.” It is credited with helping to create the Peace Corps, strongly supporting the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and mounting the “War Is Not the Answer” campaign after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The FCNL currently has a staff of over forty experts who lobby on Capitol Hill and work with a network of tens of thousands of people across the country to advance policies and priorities established by its Quaker governing committee. Its website says, “FCNL is a nonpartisan organization that seeks to live our values of integrity, simplicity, and peace as we build relationships across political divides to move policies forward.”
Machiko-Haber said, “Part of our job as members of the Advocacy Corps is to teach members of our communities how to lobby effectively. I will review the steps for a successful visit, and then we will practice the steps with each other. I will use climate change as an example. I will also set up a lobby visit on climate change with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick so members of the Meeting can put their skills into practice.”
Sarah Machiko Haber is a graduate of George School and Sarah Lawrence College. She is currently working at The Lark in New York City, a non-profit playwright development group, “a place for plays in process for a world in progress.” This year, she is also a member of the Friends Committee on National Legislation’s Advocacy Corps, a group of 19-30 years-olds who spend 9 months grassroots lobbying in their hometowns.
Sarah said, “This year there are 20 Advocacy Corps members in 18 states lobbying Congress to take action on climate change.”