Seeing Washington as an activist, not as a tourist

Our nation’s capital is just as I imagined. The buildings are majestic and the statues are abundant. For years I’ve been claiming that I would visit Washington, D.C., for a history lesson. I would take the tours and have my picture taken with Lincoln.

Surprisingly, my first trip to Washington is not to wander the streets that famous people have walked before me. I have come to our nation’s capital for a cause, for a rally, to take a stand for the civilians of Darfur. I have been diligently working on the “Million Voices for Darfur” campaign from UUSC’s national office in Cambridge, Mass. Thousands of postcards flooded into my mailbox from men, women, and children across the United States who asked President Bush to live up to his pledge “Not On My Watch.” I am honored to deliver the people’s postcards and voices to Washington and to President Bush.

Washington is so much more than a city of history. It is a city where you can stand at the steps of our Capitol and ask: What are we doing today to learn from our history? We are taking a stand together on April 30, 2006 against one of the worst crimes of inhumanity the world has ever seen. Please come to the “Rally to Stop Genocide in Darfur” and the UU “Rally Before the Rally” and experience the city as I have – not as a tourist, but as an activist.