Today, around 7 in the morning, groans were heard all throughout the hostel. 7 speakers is a lot, and to be honest, most of us were not looking forward to it. Surprisingly, it turned out to be an amazing day filled with some of the most passionate change agents. Although we hadn't heard of many, they were inspiring and a joy to see.
Our first speaker as Rabbi Kahn. Rabbi Kahn is active in the Equal Rights Center. From him, we learned about minority communities that are often overlooked such as victims of domestic abuse and those with disabilities. From him, we also learned the skills to turn instances of discrimination into a sound and just lawsuit. Our second speaker was Scott Rechler who is an Operation Understanding D.C. graduate. He used interactive techniques to teach us how to start up our own organization and how to be social entrepreneurs. His presentation also required us to examine the issues that we are passionate about, which was extremely helpful as we have been hearing about many MANY issues.Then we heard from C.R. Gibbs who is an expert on African history. His message about the history of those of African descent was mind blowing. It taught me that Africans were venturing into the world and making great strides long before the slave trade began and it amazing how much that history has been skewed.
After that, we switched locals and arrived at Dupont Circle. There Ruth Cogen spoke to us about fund-raising, which I found EXTREMELY helpful. after that, Rabbi David Saperstein talking to us about his Jewish lobbying activities. Then, we learned about the Alliance for Justice which is a group that focuses on civil rights issues such as torture. Our final speakers were Chris Myers Asch and Erica Seager Ash who spoke with us about the proposed United States Public Service Academy. Finally, it was time for diner and our day was over. It was tiring, yet very informative.
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