Women's Commission Breakfast Focuses on Civic Engagement
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Tahirah Amatul-Wadud admitted she was "preaching to the choir" on Monday morning as she stressed the importance of community engagement in the politic process.
Her audience at Berkshire Community College of nearly 100 was mostly women and legislators who had shown up on a cold and rainy morning in the Susan B. Anthony Lounge for the Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women's annual legislative breakfast.
Their presence spoke to the fact that they were already engaged, or interested in becoming so. But in light of the breakfast's theme of "Inspire, Learn, Do," Amatul-Wadud said they could always reach out to others less involved.
"Our work has to go beyond this room," the attorney and state commissioner said. "There are many people who feel apathetic. We have very low voter registration, low voter turnout in certain communities and it's our job to uplift and inspire those people to continue to be involved."
Amatul-Wadud's represented cases of religious persecution in the Muslim community — "some pretty horrible bigotry and threats of violence" — but has seen her role expand as she came to realize the importance of civic engagement for her clients.
"I am fighting in court, but the past few years, I've had to go beyond being a litigator and I've had to now become an educator," she said, because her clients needed to become more proactive in the political process.
Amatul-Wadud spoke of research she'd found that uncovered an "abysmal" state of voter registration in some Muslim communities that was downright embarrassing.
"Probably not unlike what it is for others who feel marginalized, apathetic, aren't familiar with the system, or don't understand how the system works," she said.
One community, for example, that was trying to navigate the process of permitting to build a mosque had only seven of its members vote in a recent election.
"If you want this kind of help, you have to help your lawmakers help you," the community had been told, she said. "So it's little stories like that that we can use to change the narrative from apathy to engagement."
Another example is Flint, Mich., where the poorer community is still struggling with lead from old pipes leaching into its water system; a nearby affluent community, more engaged in the process, was able to get more action on an upgraded infrastructure
It's not just voting, Amatul-Wadud said, but becoming involved in a way that makes sure your voice is heard — write letters to the editor, serve on a civic or community board, talk to your lawmaker, make a political donation, engage with community groups and other faith organizations, look to include and inspire youth, and remind others of important dates like elections.
"It's a whole gamut of activities that we as citizens not only have the right to do but the obligation to do," she said. "And this room can make it happen."
Mary Berle, principal of Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School in Great Barrington and a Berkshire County commissioner, offered up seven steps on collaboration to use as a tool "so that when we're at the table, everyone has a voice."
Adapted from a site called AlternativeSchools.org, the steps included promoting a "spirit of inquiry"; stopping to think about what is being said; paraphrasing to ensure everyone understands what's being said; asking for or providing better clarity on topics being discussed; offering ideas; paying attention to what others are saying and how you're reacting; and "presuming positive intentions" by others.
The attendees, which included state Reps. Gailanne Cariddi and William "Smitty" Pignatelli, and state Sen. Adam Hinds, later broke into discussion groups on the topics of violence against women, civic engagement and reproductive rights. PCTV taped the event for later replay.
Berkshire County Commissioner Susan Olshuff encouraged attendees to follow through with the commitments they had been asked to write down. Read to a child, she said, visit a nursing home, attend a committee meeting, volunteer at a school, have a conversation with someone with a different perspective.
"As a boomer, I think I was waiting a lot of my life to find the big thing I was going to do to save the world," she said. "Now I've realized, I'm one among many, and we're each one among many, and everything we do is part of a whole."
Tags: commission on women, legislative breakfast,
