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[Back to index of December articles] AIM members plan to get out the vote By Lucy Chumbley The day after the funeral of Rosa Parks, who sparked the Civil Rights movement when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus, more than 320 people of faith gathered in a different Montgomery to campaign for social justice. Members of the 32 congregations that make up the grassroots group Action in Montgomery assembled at the Bethesda Presbyterian Church on Nov. 2 to hone their agenda and hear progress reports from local politicians. "We've come together to practice what we preach," said the event's emcee, the Rev. Jeff MacKnight, rector of St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Bethesda. Since its inception six years ago, AIM - an interfaith, nonpartisan organization that promotes social justice - has proved itself to be a formidable political force. The organization, to which the Episcopal congregations of Transfiguration, Ascension and Grace, Silver Spring also belong, works by setting an agenda for improving life in Montgomery County and then actively engages public officials on these issues. Current campaigns include a push to get Montgomery County to follow through with its commitment last year to construct 1,000 units of affordable housing over the next four years and to open an immigration office. Progress has been made toward both goals: The assembled company, packed into pews marked with the names of their congregations, whooped and cheered as county executive Douglas Duncan, who is running as the Democratic candidate for Governor of Maryland, reported that the county was "three-quarters of the way to meeting our [affordable housing] goal." Maryland's Lt. Gov. Michael Steele - a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate - also gave a report, stating that AIM leaders had met with him twice to discuss the immigration office. He has learned, he said, that setting up an immigration office in Montgomery County will require "language in the Homeland Security Bill" and will cost anywhere from $3 to $6 million. "My pledge to you and my commitment to you is to get the appropriate language into the legislation," Steele said. He also said he was willing to pull together a delegation from the immigrant community to meet with Congressman Tom Davis (R-Va.), a member of the Homeland Security Committee. "My goal is that in very short order we will have a commitment from our fellow partners to have a center in this county," he said. "My goal is, I'd like to see this happen in my lifetime." No matter how sincere their promises, legislators come and go, and AIM strives to be involved in the political process without supporting individual politicians. "We don't want to become partisan, but we don't want to miss a chance to make a difference," MacKnight said. "We want our passion and our power to be visible and clear. We want our elected officials to deliver on the promises they make… Other groups raise money for candidates. We don't do that. We raise a ruckus!" "We build a platform we ask our candidates to endorse," said Rabbi Mark Raphael of the Kehilat Shalom synagogue in Gaithersburg. There are around 40,000 people in AIM's member congregations, he said, and if they can be mobilized to vote for AIM's agenda, the organization can accomplish great things. After a call to action from Raphael, AIM members voted unanimously to "build the largest, most organized get-out-the-vote effort ever organized in Montgomery County." This effort will work by strengthening the action teams in each congregation, researching the issues, then holding small political meetings and large 'actions" to promote them. AIM will publicly announce its new agenda at a March 9 meeting, where it will challenge candidates up for election in 2006. To give this meeting the necessary clout, AIM members were asked to bring 650 people - or double the night's turnout. After breaking to caucus, the team leaders from each of the 32 congregations present lined up at the microphone to pledge their support for the campaign - a unanimous "yes." They also made a commitment to bring at least 710 people to the March event. "I'd say that's a home run folks! Thank you," said AIM strategy team leader Russ Louch before adjourning the meeting. "If anyone questioned if we could be both powerful and non partisan - the proof is in the pudding tonight!" [Back to index of December articles]
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