Sophomore Charlie Bertman traveled to Washington, D.C. with seven other St. Louis area students from Feb. 20 to 23 for a weekend-long conference concluding with the opportunity to lobby Missouri’s senators and representatives. The conference, the L’Taken Social Justice Seminar — which in Hebrew means “to repair” — was sponsored by the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, whose goal is to inspire the Reform Jewish community to pursue social justice.
“It’s so important for students to realize that they have power, and not just being told what to do,” Sidni Weglarz, a chaperone for the St. Louis cohort, said. “If you want to make a change, you [can] learn the process at a young age and understand how our government should work. [This trip allows you to] experience it firsthand, and know that you have the power as you grow up [to] reflect and say, ‘Wait a second. I don’t agree with XYZ. I know where to voice my concern. I know what I can do, and I can make a change. I have that power as an individual to express myself and my needs.’”
While the group traveled to several monuments and museums and listened to many speakers, the final day proved to be the main event. They started Monday, Feb. 23, by going to Capitol Hill, specifically to the offices of Senator Josh Hawley, Senator Eric Schmitt and Representative Wesley Bell.
“All the congressional offices look exactly how you would expect,” Bertman said. “I didn’t really think it was that intimidating because we were in a big group.”
Even though they met with advisors from the elected officials’ offices, Bertman still thinks he succeeded in advocating for climate justice.
“[I believe] we swayed a lot of [the advisors] and convinced them to support [the] issue we were trying to tackle with our speech,” Bertman said. “I thought it was powerful that I [can] influence government officials.”
Moreover, the representatives they spoke with remained attentive and focused.
“We got to engage in conversation with them, even after our speeches,” Bertman said. “They talked to us about the things we said, and we had a big discussion.”
Bertman recommends that anyone who may be afraid to make a change should overcome their fears and try.
“Taking action can actually be really effective if you go about it the right way,” Bertman said. “It’s a win-win scenario. If you contact them and they respond, it’ll probably be supporting you, and if they don’t respond, at least you know that you tried.”
Weglarz believes students are the strongest advocates due to their passion for various social justice topics.
“I always under-appreciate and forget about everything that [students] are capable of, and the speeches that [they] give and the stories that [they] tell are so inspiring,” Weglarz said.
