Students attended 54th annual Amnesty International General Meeting in Albuquerque
Rachel Overby
Antelope Staff
My trip started Thursday morning, March 16 with a 12-hour drive down to New Mexico. Although I was stuck in a car with three guys for 12 hours, the drive was completely worth it. During the Amnesty International General Meeting, I was able to learn from and talk with amazing people doing inspiring things to change our country for the better.
Our weekend began with an overview of the conference laying out our weekend. We were able to attend a long list of breakout sessions discussing a wide variety of topics. The first day I was able to sit in on a panel going over the many issues that come along with the criminalization of drugs in America. This panel was not at all what I expected and only gave facts about this issue instead of taking a specific stance on the issue.
“I am very glad to be a part of an organization that can see past political parties and look directly at the issues and try to fix them.”
Many visited the Action Alley, a room in the conference center that held different booths showcasing various human rights issues. Each booth had all the information surrounding the issues and most of them asked for support by signing petitions or posting photos online.
Something I found very interesting during my time at the AGM was that Amnesty International strives to be nonpartisan in all the things they do. I am very glad to be a part of an organization that can see past political parties and look directly at the issues and try to fix them. In the world we live in today, so many things get overlooked because all people see is what party supports an issue. I think that for any human rights issue to be resolved and to get support from the government, it is necessary to stay away from political parties and stay non-partisan at all times.
The second day of the conference I was able to go to a panel teaching us how to properly lobby. I had never even thought about lobbying before, so I was curious about how that process would work.
We learned that in most cases going in and speaking to a representative, either at the local, state or federal level, is the most efficient way to get them to hear and listen to your cause. AI has a team of volunteers from each state that works hard to build a library of resources so that you can be completely prepared when going to talk with a representative.
The lobbying session was very interesting and opened my eyes to how these things really get resolved. I only knew about the letter writing campaigns and signing petitions, but in all reality, you need to go directly to the source to get things fixed. In this country, that means going to the government.
The weekend was very informative but was comforting to know that I am a part of an organization that truly fights every day to help those who have been mistreated. Living in a town where few share similar beliefs, it was very refreshing being able to spend a weekend with people who all cared about the same things that I do and were working to better their own communities.
