I

t’s almost inarguable that 
today’s political climate 
is polarizing. But another 

polarizing 
sub-

climate 
is 
among 

activists who desire 
social 
change. 

During a classic 2 
a.m. 
conversation 

in the Fishbowl, a 
friend and I came to 
a conclusion. There 
are two prominent 
styles among those 
who 
mobilize 

communities 
to 

effect 
change: 

marchers 
and 

lobbyists. Marchers are the 
types 
of 
people 
who 
see 

the 
value 
and 
efficacy 
of 

public demonstrations as the 
most efficient allocation of 
their time. Lobbyists derive 
value from working within 
governmental institutions to 
effect change. Both styles are 
invaluable, but only when they 
work in tandem.

When the historic and global 

Women’s March took place on 
Jan. 21, I watched in awe as streets 
flooded with inspired and patriotic 
folks from all backgrounds. The 
passion in the air was infectious. 
However, in the days that followed, 
silence filled the lobbying sphere. I 
waited to hear any appeals made 
to government in the form of 
actionable change and real goals. 
My inner lobbyist was left hungry 
while my inner marcher felt full 
and satisfied.

Some argue this was the 

point of the Women’s March. 
In a compelling piece for the 
Independent, Kate Maltby reasons 
that the demonstration wasn’t 
designed to “change anything — 
but that’s not why we’re doing it.” 
She cites the cathartic relief of 
protesting as a main driver of the 
Women’s March. But wouldn’t it 
be great to harness the capacity 
for tangible change created as a 
healthy side effect?

When marchers nonviolently 

demonstrate and protest, they 
tap into a potential to make 
headlines, 
inspire 
reaction, 

spark 
dialogues 
and 
much 

more. These values are almost 
unique to the act of organizing 
and, as such, anyone desiring 
of change must recognize 
and 
appreciate 
marchers. 

But what marchers lack is an 
avenue to hold their audience, 
oftentimes 
governmental 

institutions, accountable.

This is where lobbyists come 

in. Lobbyists tailor the message 
of the march to finite and few 
requests of their audience. 
Whether it’s a meeting with 
a congresswoman or her staffer, 
and whether it’s in Washington 

D.C. or at the local district office, 
the meeting will always end in, 
“So these are our requests.” And 

the requests are a 
powerful tool; they do 
what protests cannot. 
The requests define a 
space within which 
the institution can 
work, as well as a goal 
that can be achieved.

Take my Muslim 

community 
as 
an 

example. For seven 
years 
we’ve 
held 

annual “Day on the 
Hill” events, meeting 

with more than 1,000 

elected officials and their staff 
to clear up misconceptions about 
Islam and advocate for global 
religious tolerance. Each year, 
more than 100 Muslims join 
the D.C. hustle and bustle as a 
part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim 
Community’s annual “Day on the 
Hill.” As #MuslimsOnTheHill, we 
combine lobbying and marching 
to put passion into action.

In 2014, our efforts came 

to fruition with the launch 
of the first and only Muslim 
caucus 
in 
Congress, 
the 

Ahmadiyya Muslim Caucus. 
The bipartisan-chaired caucus 
fights violations of religious 
liberties globally. This year, 
we were the largest Muslim 
group to meet with elected 
officials 
post-immigration 

ban. This means we shared 
with 
our 
nation’s 
leaders 

what the state of Muslim 
refugees 
and 
Islamophobia 

is like in the United States. 
Sharing personal stories gives 
a personality to a movement, 
which in turn begins breaking 
down 
identity 
politics. 

Furthermore, it incentivizes 
action and accountability. If 
a representative’s office feels 
personally 
connected 
to 
a 

movement through a physical 
handshake, they’ll care more 
about accomplishing those all-
important requests.

As 
my 
friend 
pointed 

out to me during our 2 a.m. 
conversation in the Fishbowl, 
we can’t just have lobbyists. 
In fact, it is essential for 
lobbyists to be able to reference 

some form of a movement for 
the sake of relevance.

For the #MuslimsOnTheHill, 

we referenced the grassroots 
TrueIslam.com campaign. The 
viral campaign, which seeks to 
clearly and concisely establish 
Islam’s true values, provided our 
Congressional 
representatives 

with two things. First, it showed 
our congresspeople the level of 
public interest in our message. 
After all, who would want to 
waste their office’s time, and 
taxpayer money, on unpopular 
ideas? And second, it gave 
our representatives a tangible 
action their office could take 
to support the movement, like 
becoming a #MuslimAlly. See 
that? The marcher’s grassroots 
campaign 
paired 
with 
the 

lobbyist’s 
specific 
requests 

harnesses potential for change 
more 
effectively 
than 
each 

working individually ever could.

Intermittently, lobbyists and 

marchers 
work 
in 
headline-

making tandem, as is evident 
with the influx in passionate 
town halls across the nation. 
Citizens are able to cathartically 
express 
their 
feelings 
while 

simultaneously 
holding 
their 

representatives accountable. In 
Ann 
Arbor, 
Students4Justice 

showed our campus how to 
combine the marcher mentality 
with the lobbyist mentality when 
the coalition coupled its sit-in 
with a thorough list of requests 
to “President Mark Schlissel, the 
Administration, and the Central 
Student 
Government 
of 
the 

University of Michigan.” Quite 
formally, 
the 
administration 

issued a thorough response to 
each point raised by S4J. Whether 
or not the response was adequate 
is up for debate. But what’s 
happening here is an exchange 
between activists, who want social 
change, and their administration.

So what does this mean for 

you? Well, it depends. If you 
haven’t been politically active 
about issues that affect us all, 
it’s time to start. If you have 
been politically active, then 
consider what else you can do. 
Lobbyists, look into supporting 
nonviolent protests. Marchers, 
think about setting up a meeting 
at your local representative’s 
office. If it’s an on-campus 
issue, consider teaming up 
with 
other 
students 
and 

organizations, both lobbyists 
and marchers of course, to take 
that crucial first step. Let’s all 
put our passion into action, and 
work in tandem with activists 
to effect positive and tolerant 
change in our society.

A

s we mentioned in our 
monthly 
speech 
Feb. 

16 before the Board of 

Regents, we believe that one 
“of the greatest dangers facing 
this campus … is a pervasive 
culture of apathy, whereby many 
students unaffected by (racist, 
white supremacist, Islamophobic 
and anti-Semitic) attacks do 
not engage in the critical and 
unending work that is necessary 
to advance a more just, fair and 
inclusive 
campus, 
University 

community and society.” 

All of us students, regardless of 

our backgrounds and identities, 
must care deeply about diversity, 
equity 
and 
inclusion-related 

work. We must embrace the 
notion of allyhood and embody its 
values through sustained action 
and activism, especially against 
the backdrop of the difficult 
year with which our campus and 
community have dealt.

Now, why is this the case? One, 

everyone deserves the chance to 
thrive and find a home — to feel 
safe and secure, respected and 
valued — on our campus. Two, 
diversity, equity and inclusion 
benefit all of us: Countless studies 
have shown us that progress 
and innovation are catalyzed 
when 
people 
with 
different 

lived and learned experiences, 
viewpoints and backgrounds 
come together to learn with 
and from each other.

For these reasons, over the 

past year, Central Student 
Government has put diversity, 
equity and inclusion at the 
forefront of our work. It guides 
our every decision and inspires 
each initiative and program that 
we launch — both inside and 
outside of the organization.

Let’s start by acknowledging 

that CSG has much more work to 
do in the area of diversity, equity 
and inclusion; the Demographic 
Report that we commissioned 
back 
in 
September 

highlighted the homogeneity 
of our organization. This is 
unacceptable for any organization, 
but especially one whose purpose 
is to represent every University of 
Michigan student.

We 
believe 
that 
part 
of 

this issue can be addressed 
by improving our Governing 
Documents, 
which 
currently 

outline 
how 
CSG 
Assembly 

seats 
are 
apportioned. 
To 

enhance these documents, and 
to strengthen the organization’s 
internal diversity, we convened 

a 
Constitutional 
Convention. 

The convention has proposed 
amendments, to be voted on by 
the student body in the upcoming 
March elections, that will create 
specialized seats for first-year, 
transfer 
and 
international 

students, which we believe will 
help to diversify CSG. 

We must also recognize that 

the best way to enhance CSG’s 
diversity is to expand the pool 
of people who get involved in 
the organization as candidates 
for the Assembly or members of 
a commission. Last month, for 
instance, we hosted a pre-election 
information meeting, with the 
goal of providing the opportunity 
for 
more 
students 
without 

any prior student government 
experience to become engaged 
in the election process. The 
meeting was a success, bringing 
together students from across 
the University with different 
histories 
of 
organizational 

involvement and leadership.

We are also proud to have 

executed our campaign promise 
of ensuring that members of 
the CSG Executive Team and 
Assembly undergo intergroup 
relations training. The foundation 
of this training is to build an 
understanding of how one’s social 
identities impact interpersonal 
relationships. 
It 
is 
likewise 

essential in fostering a more 
inclusive 
environment 
within 

CSG — an absolute necessity, 
as we continuously work with 
students of many different lived 
and learned experiences. 

Our administration has also 

overseen 
the 
re-emergence 

and growth of the Diversity 
and 
Inclusion 
Commission. 

This 
commission 
has 
been 

very 
effective, 
promoting 
a 

number of different initiatives 
and 
programs, 
including 

University 
recognition 
of 

Indigenous People’s Day and 
the establishment of the Student 
Support & Action Committee. A 
committee for and by students, 
the 
SSAC 
aims 
to 
provide 

continuous support for students 
through 
monthly 
activities 

designed to spread positivity 
throughout campus. Such events 
might include hosting group 
dialogues and the flyering of 
positive messages.

In 
efforts 
to 
encourage 

inclusivity, 
allyhood 
and 

continued support for students, 
CSG also launched a campus-
wide campaign in November 

called It Starts With Me. The 
campaign 
calls 
on 
students 

to stand against all forms of 
racism 
and 
discrimination. 

This campaign offers a way 
for students to step up, call in 
and try to make a difference 
through their actions. Thus far, 
students all across campus have 
participated in this campaign, 
from the men’s basketball team 
to the glee club.

Our proudest accomplishment 

in the area of diversity, equity and 
inclusion is the establishment 
of the Leadership Engagement 
Scholarship. This fund, the first 
of its kind at the University, acts 
as a “tool of equity” in that it 
seeks to level the playing field 
and support the extracurricular 
pursuits of University students 
with 
demonstrated 
financial 

need. Since we launched this 
initiative 
to 
the 
University 

community in October, with the 
help of University development, 
we 
have 
raised 
more 
than 

$150,000 for this scholarship. We 
deeply believe in the potential 
of this fund to strengthen intra-
organizational 
diversity 
and 

better the experiences of many 
deserving student leaders.

Much work remains to be 

done in the area of diversity, 
equity and inclusion, both within 
CSG and at the University. But, 
we remain hopeful. There are 
scores of dedicated faculty and 
staff members, administrators 
and, of course, students, who 
have worked tirelessly to elevate 
our shared community so that 
it better reflects our very best 
selves, our highest ideals and 
certainly the rich diversity of the 
greater society.

Going forward, it will be 

imperative that students of all 
backgrounds, identities and 
types of campus involvement, 
including future CSG leaders, 
hold the administration and its 
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 
strategic plan, which aims to 
“creat[e] a vibrant, diverse 
and inclusive campus,” to the 
highest standards. As long 
as we continue to do this — 
as long as we challenge the 
status quo and believe in the 
promise of tomorrow — we 
are confident in our ability as 
students to lead change and 
drive progress. 

Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Wednesday, March 8, 2017

REBECCA LERNER

Managing Editor

420 Maynard St. 

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

EMMA KINERY

Editor in Chief

ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY 

and REBECCA TARNOPOL 

Editorial Page Editors

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board. 

All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

Carolyn Ayaub
Megan Burns

Samantha Goldstein

Caitlin Heenan
Jeremy Kaplan

Sarah Khan
Max Lubell

Alexis Megdanoff
Madeline Nowicki
Anna Polumbo-Levy 

Jason Rowland

Ali Safawi

Kevin Sweitzer

Rebecca Tarnopol

Stephanie Trierweiler

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

The importance of diversity and inclusion

DAVID SCHAFER AND MICAH GRIGGS | OP-ED

Turning passion into action

IBRAHIM IJAZ | COLUMN

Ibrahim Ijaz can be reached at 

iijaz@umich.edu.

David Schafer and Micah Griggs are 

LSA seniors.

IBRAHIM 

IJAZ

ERIN WAKELAND | CONTACT ERIN AT ERINRAY@UMICH.EDU

W

hen 
I, 
a 
young 

woman, enrolled in 
Women’s 
Studies 

220: Perspectives in Women’s 
Health in the winter semester 
of my freshman year, I thought 
I had women’s health figured 
out. I was curious about my 
own body. I searched anything 
I didn’t know and knew how to 
find the truth about the subject. 
Unlike many, I knew that people 
with vaginas don’t pee out of 
them. However, I hadn’t been 
in a sex-ed class since I was 
12. I was always taught that a 
woman’s body was just like a 
man’s with a few alterations 
and that there were just two 
anatomical types of bodies in 
the first place.

When I walked into the 

class, I was so confident in what 
I thought I knew that I was 
completely oblivious to the things 
I didn’t. As it turns out, women’s 
health is much more than what 
people think it is — and it’s often 
misunderstood 
or 
dismissed 

by almost everyone, even by 
professionals in the medical 
community. Despite feeling like 
I already had enough knowledge 
of the subject going into the 
class, I had never even heard of 
an intrauterine device, or an IUD 
(a pregnancy-preventing device 
inserted in the uterus), I didn’t 
know what a pap smear actually 
entailed and I didn’t know that 

doctors are less likely to take 
the pain of female patients 
seriously. I had also never fully 
considered 
the 
intersections 

of race, socioeconomic status 
and disability as they pertain to 
women’s health. Having certain 
identities can mean higher rates 
of infant mortality for your child; 
it can even mean not being seen 
as a woman at all.

Women’s bodies are ignored 

by science, objectified by society 
and seen as one-size-fits-all. 
Diseases that disproportionately 
affect women are not always 
studied 
specifically 
in 
the 

context 
of 
women’s 
health. 

In many public schools, sex 
education preaches abstinence 
relentlessly and ignores safe 
sex practices that can help 
women protect themselves. The 
definition of consent, and the 
realities of sexual assault, are 
rarely discussed.

Composing 
half 
the 

population and having bodies 
that are entirely their own, 
women deserve to know the 
vital information that pertains 
to their everyday lives. They 
deserve to know the flaws in 
the U.S. health care system; 
they 
deserve 
to 
feel 
they 

are receiving the best, most 
informed care they can get. It’s 
also vital for men to step up 
and to use whatever privilege 
in society they have to be 

informed and value women’s 
health and women’s bodies.

No one can assume full 

knowledge when it comes to 
women’s health — the field is 
too wide, and frankly, there’s so 
much information that not even 
the experts are fully confident 
in yet. Health is something that 
affects the lives of everyone, 
and because health classes 
today do not always include 
everyone 
(like 
transgender 

women), it is so important that 
we fill in the gaps where we 
can. Perspectives in Women’s 
Health was enlightening for 
me, but it’s ridiculous that I 
didn’t learn these vital things 
until my freshman year of 
college. 
Teaching 
women’s 

health, and teaching it as soon 
as possible, can answer some of 
the most important questions 
young women may have.

If you would like to learn 

more about women’s health, 
the women’s issues committee 
of the University of Michigan’s 
chapter of College Democrats 
and Students for Choice are 
hosting the Women’s Health 
Panel on Thursday, March 
9 from 8 to 9 p.m. in the 
Annenberg Auditorium of the 
Ford School.

Women’s health education is a necessity

GRIFFIN ST. ONGE | OP-ED

Griffin St. Onge is an LSA 

sophomore and a member of 

FemDems.

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My inner lobbyist 
was left hungry 
while my inner 
marcher felt full 

and satisfied.

