Loretto Goes to Washington

How could we have done it without Carolyn Jaramillo? She and so many helpers worked for months to get our Loretto travelers to Washington, D.C. with confidence, excitement and eagerness for new experiences. Roberta Hudlow created a new banner behind which we gathered under the white baseball caps she designed so we were identifiable to each other. Thanks to Loretto Link and Loretto Community members, 30 people signed on to join the Poor People’s Campaign March on Washington June 15-19. The city was buzzing with believers in justice for the poor. The Loretto spirit could be felt from each attendee and those who came into our light.

While the march on the 18th was the high point of two full working days for us, learning preceded action. On July 16, our Loretto group united to meet at the offices of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. Welcomed by gracious staff who provided material, information and guidance, we gained the strength of speaking to those who are meant to listen to us, our senators. We discussed the bipartisan EQUAL Act (S. 79) which addresses disparities in sentences. We also learned about three other acts before the Senate which would provide for fairer, more just sentences. We learned our main task was to emphasize our sincere hope that the EQUAL Act and the other three bills would make it to the Senate floor as soon and as often as possible.

Additionally, in the folders prepared for the senators, NETWORK included information about Loretto, such as the one-pager written by Mary Ann McGivern explaining the scope of Loretto’s history in working for justice and peace. Kathleen Kennedy brought the important place of our youth to mind when speaking about her grandson, “As we prepared for the lobbying on mass incarceration, as a person of color, [16-year-old] Noah is aware of the different societal treatments one can often receive due solely to pigmentation of skin. He is a songwriter/rapper, so I’m betting some of this may come out in his work.”

We were enthusiastic and of one mind to bring our message to our senators for equal and just treatment for incarcerated persons. Members of our group volunteered to contact their senators to set up meetings and were welcomed by the senators’ judiciary legal assistants. Beth Blissman and I met with our Ohio assistants, who were positive throughout the preparation and the meeting. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s legal assistant was friendly to our cause; Sen. Robert Jones Portman, Republican, it turned out, was one of the original two sponsors of the EQUAL Act. Toward the end of our 30 minutes, our conversation turned to personal life moments revealing our similar humanity, not only our political parties. As Sen. Portman’s assistant, Chris Mitchell, put it, “It is always great connecting with fellow Ohioans … who continue to move us forward.” Move forward, we did!

Later, we met up with those who had concluded their own meetings with their senators and were able to compare feelings about our receptions and take a photo reflecting our sense of accomplishment.

Some other group receptions were different from Beth’s and mine. After meeting with assistants in the offices of Kentucky Senators Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, Karel Disponett offered this observation, “The thing I took away was how their offices, the way visitors were welcomed, and the way staff interacted with us seemed to reflect the personality of the senator. Sen. McConnell’s office and staff were more formal with less back and forth conversation than with Sen. Paul’s office and staff, [who] were much more informal with open discussion of issues.

The free time during days and evenings found separate groups relaxing on their own. On June 16, Kathleen Kennedy, her grandsons Noah, who also lobbied, and 10-year-old Mason Quall visited historic monuments. “Noah and Mason were in awe just being in historic D.C.,” reported Kathleen. They also toured the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Loretto’s Latin America/Caribbean Committee gathered at El Tamarindo to recap their days in Spanish. Beth and I went with Anabel Landa and her sister, Maru, to Old Maryland where young and old, families of all ethnicities, danced and sang at the riverside plaza.

On June 17, we prepared for a relaxing picnic for all Loretto D.C. visitors and friends hosted by Jeannine Gramick, Matt Myers and the staff at New Ways Ministry’s home. Matt displayed his culinary skills, preparing a wonderful meal while the rest of us cemented new relations and enjoyed old friends. Conversation filled the backyard as old and new friends came together. Many commented on the energy of Loretto members meeting face to face. Rallying, working together to speak out so the world can be a better place for all, was powerful and positive, Sally Dunne shared.

June 18 was the culmination of an active week for Loretto members, friends and allies. We met early morning at St. Patrick Church to receive commission and blessing for all who came for people living in poverty. Loretto was invited to stand with prayer and music leaders. People arriving in buses or walking from their temporary residences gathered in prayer. We headed out chanting “No one left behind; not one step back,” as we walked to hear Rev. Dr. William Barber urge us to continue the call begun by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King to improve the life of poor communities, who demanded officials act on their behalf to improve life, dignity and livelihood opportunities denied them. Maureen O’Connell was feeling grateful for the chance to “show up” for an event that matters, to “feel a part of a swell of 150,000 of every race, background and age who also ‘showed up.’”

Elisa Johnson shared, “This was my first march. … What I absorbed and what I carry with me is the spirit … [to] ‘come together’ and march with dignity and justice for all.” Paulina Olvera Cáñez, an Espacio Migrante director, felt “The biggest impact was getting to know Loretto members. I heard the testimony of many Lorettos, how they came and wanted to be a part of a community that cared about the poor and social justice.”

Bob Kee summed up our new knowledge, our parallels, our similar and different experiences from our visit to Washington, “Meeting with the other groups in D.C. that are working on immigration issues was wonderful. The gathering and march on Saturday were fantastic. Listeningto the speakers throughout the day was incredible and powerful. My visit to the African American Museum was so emotional. I could see parallels with what is occurring now with migration at our southern borders. We got to do a little sightseeing too.”