Individual Activism Shapes Our Community
In this often overcrowded and polarized political environment, many individuals are left wondering, “Does my voice matter, can I really make an impact?” Congresswoman Karen Bass, representing the 37th Congressional District of California, and Congressman Ed Royce, representing the 39th Congressional District of California, weigh in:
Congresswoman Karen Bass hosted Justice for Girls with ARC calling for Congress to include the unique needs of women and girls in conversations around criminal justice reform.
“A constituent can definitely make a big difference by being active and involved in their community. The best public policy comes from the people,” shares Congresswoman Bass. “I’ve recently witnessed a perfect example of how a few individual voices helped raise awareness about an issue. The Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) visited me at my Washington office last year. The several young women I met with were involved in the child welfare system and/or the criminal justice system and had joined ARC to raise awareness about their stories to impact policy change. Their stories demonstrated the sheer resilience and strength of each of these young women. One key takeaway was how no one was talking about the girls and women of color who are impacted and enter the juvenile justice and criminal justice system as adults. The fact is – the pipeline for girls and women is different. We had a town hall in my district that summer and two of the ARC members who were in my Washington office served as panelists, they helped raise awareness and candidly spoke about their experiences.”