[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 6, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S4390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JACLYN LICHT

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, student activism has always been at 
the forefront of every step forward we have taken as a country and as a 
society. It was true for my generation in the civil rights movement, 
the women's movement, and the effort to end the Vietnam war. In recent 
years it was students--young people--who put issues like AIDS in Africa 
and global poverty front and center on the Nation's agenda when few 
others showed much interest in the fight.
  Today I would like to recognize the special efforts of a student 
activist in my State--Jaclyn Licht, a young woman carving out time from 
her studies to raise awareness about the brutal tactics of the Lord's 
Resistance Army, LRA, in east and central Africa. Right now Jaclyn is 
lobbying to maintain the integrity and funding for the landmark LRA 
disarmament bill that passed in the 111th Congress. And she recently 
penned an insightful article about the important role that all citizens 
play in promoting democracy and peace throughout the world. Jaclyn's 
article appeared in ``The Vanguard,'' the student newspaper of 
Buckingham Browne & Nichols Upper School in Cambridge, MA. She writes 
convincingly about the right of Americans to petition their government 
and urges her fellow Americans not to waste that right, especially 
given the uncertain fate of the LRA disarmament bill. Jaclyn reminds us 
that ``students . . . have the greatest ability to take advantage of 
this right'' and urges activism on the part of her classmates.
  Along with representatives from the group Resolve, Jaclyn recently 
met with staff in my Boston office to discuss how important this 
legislation is for the people of east and central Africa. She also 
shared her views about America's role in protecting the people most 
vulnerable to the brutalities of the LRA.
  For Jaclyn, of course, activism is in her DNA--an inheritance from 
two parents who have always made the cause of justice their concern. 
But Jaclyn is already writing her own chapter in that family history of 
urging change.
  Mr. President, I am submitting the text of Jaclyn's article to the 
Record as an example to all of us.
  The information follows.

                   [From The Vanguard, June 9, 2011]

        Student Activists Lobby To Protect LRA Disarmament Bill

                           (By Jaclyn Licht)

       In the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, 
     citizens are guaranteed the right to free speech, including 
     the right to ``petition the government for a redress of 
     grievances.'' Though many students may easily overlook the 
     meaning of these words, it is students, in fact, who have the 
     greatest ability to take advantage of this right.
       In early April, I received an email from Resolve, an 
     organization dedicated to raising awareness about the terror 
     of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Central and East 
     Africa. The email outlined a nationwide lobbying campaign 
     taking place throughout the month and offered an opportunity 
     for Massachusetts residents to attend a meeting with a staff 
     member at the office of Senator John Kerry. Last year, 
     President Obama signed into law the LRA Disarmament and 
     Northern Uganda Recovery Act, a bill unanimously passed by 
     Congress that ensures the United States will aid in 
     dismantling the rebel group and protect affected civilians. 
     Though this bill only requires less than .002 percent of our 
     national budget, economic challenges have brought about risks 
     of foreign aid budget cuts and the possibility of losing the 
     bill's budget completely. Therefore, Americans throughout the 
     country attended lobby meetings with their local government 
     representatives in order to guarantee that the LRA 
     Disarmament Act budget will remain intact.
       The meeting was led by a student from Worcester Polytechnic 
     Institute, and the group of ten comprised Resolve supporters 
     who were mainly high school or college students. We were 
     greeted warmly by Senator Kerry's representative at his 
     Boston office. After taking our seats around a large table in 
     a spacious conference room, we commenced our discussion. The 
     discussion lasted for almost 30 minutes, longer than we had 
     anticipated. Each of the group members outlined the current 
     issues posed by the LRA and proceeded to explain the need for 
     our government representatives to support these efforts as 
     well. As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 
     Senator Kerry could hold much influence in this area of 
     concern. The staff member nodded his head vigorously 
     throughout our discussion, frequently asking questions about 
     the situation in central Africa and about Resolve. He 
     explained that Senator Kerry and his staff were already 
     familiar with the deadly situation in countries such as 
     Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South 
     Sudan. He assured us that the Senator was very concerned 
     about the situation in the region, as well, and even outlined 
     useful tips to help us carry out additional meetings with 
     other government officials. After outlining the key 
     information we hoped would be passed on to Senator Kerry, we 
     prepared to depart and began to thank him for his time. 
     However, the senator's representative interrupted us and 
     asked us each how we became involved in Resolve's efforts. 
     Our reasons for becoming involved varied, but each one shared 
     a similar message: that we could not allow such violence by 
     this African rebel group go unnoticed.
       The dedicated interest of the government officials in our 
     concern for this issue reflects not only the overwhelming 
     number of opportunities available in this democratic country, 
     but also the true power of student activism in particular. 
     Throughout this country, students frequently raise awareness 
     for issues of local or global concern often only in their own 
     communities. While it is absolutely crucial to rally whole 
     communities around the cause, the opportunity to lobby 
     government officials or their staff directly is widely 
     overlooked. While citizens of several countries around the 
     world are prohibited from such petitioning, this country and 
     its officials welcome the opinions of those they are 
     representing. Moreover, American students must not hesitate 
     to contact their government leaders to express concern for 
     any issue. Throughout the United States' history, young 
     adults have instilled many lasting changes in the country 
     through many modes of activism. Therefore, government 
     officials take much interest in meeting with student 
     lobbyists, for it grants them the ability to learn and hear 
     firsthand from an influential segment of the population. 
     Moreover, students have the ability to take action 
     immediately through direct contact with government officials 
     to advocate for changes that will shape the history of our 
     country and our world.

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