Originally Written: April 24 2024
On January 30th, Urbana’s Students Demand Action club took a trip to Annapolis to participate in Advocacy Day, a day-long event in which advocates lobby with Maryland delegates to ask for support on bills which would combat the negative effects of gun violence. Upon arrival, our students walked to the Maryland State House, where they listened to some speeches from significant advocates, many of whom were survivors of gun violence themselves. Shivani Menon (Class of 2025), who leads the club alongside Malak Kamel (Class of 2025), remarked that these speeches were particularly impactful.
After having listened to such compelling perspectives, these advocates went straight to their Maryland delegates to ask for support in three different bills. “They genuinely enjoyed listening to us, regardless of whether or not they believed in the same thing as us.” says Yousef Kamel (Class of 2026). Many of the students agreed that most of the delegates were very welcoming to see student involvement in the government. At the same time, not all the delegates our students met with were as approachable. Maverick Breuker (Class of 2025) commented that “there were a few of them that made us feel uncomfortable,” a sentiment that seemed to be shared in reference to two specific delegates.
Although uneasy, our advocates continued on. “I was nervous, but I also felt empowered. I felt like it was important for me to be doing this.” says Rakshita Jayas (Class of 2025). These sentiments of power seemed to flood through the minds of all the students in the club. Malak names it “the power in our youth”, as she describes that “there were so many of us with our own experiences, our own sentiments, and we overpowered the voice that was speaking the most.”
But the whole day was not just serious conversation over a devastating matter; after speaking with the delegates, the club walked over to have lunch together, where everyone talked and laughed with their friends. Shivani states that the most enjoyable part of the trip was the people. “I had a lot of fun with the club. I feel like we definitely made a good group that we can grow with.” Despite being a smaller club, which some might take to mean it is insignificant, the students stressed the way in which this heightened their friendship with one another, as well as their power.
“I felt like I was a part of something special, because not a lot of people went out to do it in comparison to the number of people at the school.” says Yousef. He explains why he thinks it’s so extraordinary for young people to engage themselves in both politics and government. “Especially us as students, because I think that gives a lot of hope to the older generations, seeing the students that are willing to go out of their way and advocate.”
In general, the experience seemed to leave a strong impression on each of the students. When asked to choose one word to describe the day, Malak picks reality. “I feel like living in Maryland and living in Frederick, I’ve been kind of conceived to one perspective and I feel like really facing opposition was a little eye-opening.” The event was clearly one that each member of the club found insightful, influential, and important. “I think it was a really good experience for people to see how advocacy works firsthand.” (Malak Kamel).
