A Word About Lobby Day from NCJW Pgh Board Member, Ellen Olshansky

NCJW’s Lobby Day in Harrisburg

Ellen Olshansky

NCJW Pittsburgh, along with several other organizations with a commitment to women’s health and women’s lives, participated in a motivating day at the state capitol in Harrisburg on November 18. The ACLU provided training in advance of the day, making sure we were all prepared to meet with our state legislators, effectively lobbying for several bills that will improve the health of women and all Pennsylvanians. We began the day with a rally to support Black Maternal Health, a particularly important issue as Black women experience at least 3 times the maternal morbidity and mortality than do White women. We heard introductions from representatives of the myriad organizations who were part of this meaningful event. Our own Marissa Fogel, Executive Director of NCJW Pittsburgh partnered with Lynne Jacobs, Vice-President for Advocacy of NCJW Philadelphia, in welcoming everyone. There was a “Rage and Engage” room for any and all who wanted to share experiences and strategies with one another, as well as peruse information tables from partnering organizations. Organizations participating in the lobby day, in addition to NCJW included: AAUW, AccessMatters, Family Health Council of Central PA, Maternal Care Coalition, MomsRising. Pennsylvanians Together, The Fund for Women and Girls, The PA Coalition of LGBTQ Organizations, The Women's Centers, and Women's Law Project.

Those of us from NCJW Pittsburgh held many lobbying sessions. We had meetings with Representatives Dan Frankel, Valerie Gaydos, La’Tasha Mayes, Lindsay Powell, Abigail Salisbury, and Senators Jay Costa, Lindsay Williams, Wayne Fontana, and Devlin Robinson. Of course, many organizations were part of this collaborative and meaningful lobby day. Constituents from across the state participated in a total of 67 legislative meetings.

Those of us who attended Lobby Day came away invigorated, motivated, and ever more committed to activism to promote health, justice, and equity. It was a day of camaraderie and of working toward shared goals. This was a day of joy and celebration, while also an acknowledgement of the critical work yet to be done. Together, we will continue to pursue this work. As it is written in the Torah, “justice, justice shall you pursue.” Our Lobby Day was a premier example of doing just that!