Take Action: Call Congress
By Cassandra Casas, Conrtibuting Writer
Section II of Amendment XIV gives citizens of the U.S. the right to representation by elected officials. It is stated in the Constitution that this right is granted, “among the several States according to their respective numbers”. Why should you care? Because representatives pass along your messages to the decision makers at the capital. This means, if you have an issue you can complain! The process was described in more detail this past Wednesday, the twenty-seventh, at the Call Congress event on Chaffey’s main campus. The event took place on the Rancho Cucamonga campus in the Center for the Arts Building (CAA), room 211 from 12:30 PM to 1:50 PM . It was hosted by English Professors Kim George, Danny Keener, and Neil Watkins.
During the introduction of the event, Watkins, English instructor, emphasized the importance of being an “active citizen”. Watkins claimed, “part of being an active citizen is getting informed.” Reading, listening, and watching news are all great steps to take to becoming an active citizen. The next step is to call your representative and let them know what you want them to do.
Moises Rosales, president of Chaffey’s Dreamers club, chimed in to mention that all people populating an area can call. Documented or not, all voices are heard. The overall message was our representatives make change possible, but people have to act. Lorena Corona, faculty with Government- External Relations and Transitional Services at Chaffey, encouraged everyone in the room to call by stating that they can be, “an agent of change in the community”. After these few words the room began buzzing with commotion.
Many took action and can now say they did their part in making an effort to change policies. Rachel Hernandez, student, did her part and called her assigned representative regarding the expansion of Medicare. She hopes that her voice will help families across our nation. If you are not sure who to contact, visit the U.S. House of Representatives website, Congress.gov, and click on the link that reads “representative” under the subtitle “Contact Your Member”. It will direct you to a page where you can find the representative for your district. You can also choose to call one of your two senators. Be sure to have your message in mind and do not be nervous. It is a simple process, and it is your right.