Last Friday I hopped the subway out to Crown Heights to the office of my Congressional Representative, Yvette D. Clarke, to meet with one of her legislative aides, Jehmal Hudson.

I had prepared myself by reading 1sky’s platform statement and familiarizing myself with their 3 requests: no more coal-fired plants, 5 million new green jobs, and emissions reductions of 20% of 1990 levels by 2020, and 80% by 2050. 

Before I went to the office I also Googled around for Representative Clarke’s views on environmental issues. She is a freshman Representative, so it’s not surprising that I didn’t find much out there. She did vote to fund Amtrak, which, as a frequent rider on The Pennsylvanian line, I appreciate.

So I came into the meeting as a blank slate, not knowing what to expect. When I arrived at the office, staff were in the middle of cleaning out the files, and I was greeted warmly and introduced to Jehmal right away. We went into the conference room and I spelled out why I was there—to support the 1sky platform and also just to get a read on where Rep. Clarke stands on environmental issues.

What Jehmal told me is this: my representative’s goal is to ensure that low income and African American voices are included in the conversation about climate change. She sees her role as liaison between her district and the federal level, serving her constituents by shaping federal policy to help them, and also bringing good ideas from elsewhere back to her district.

She sits on three committees—Homeland Security, Small Business, and Education and Labor—and is committed to working for environmental causes within those contexts. For instance, she sponsored an environmental justice education bill.

Jehmal was not prepared to say that the Rep. Clarke supports the other two 1sky prongs regarding coal-fired plants and reducing emissions to the particular levels I asked about. I suggested they add an Environment section to the Representative’s issue papers on her website. At that point I took my leave, leaving the lines of communication open for the future.

I felt good at the end of our meeting, like I had brought a new perspective into the room and I had also gotten what I wanted—a good read on where my Representative sits on the issues that matter to me. It was really great of Jehmal to take the time to speak with me, hear me out, and provide the information I requested. Overall it was a very positive experience.

But a few days later, what’s sticking with me the most is the sense of the sheer bureaucratic bulk that makes up our government. Hundreds of legislators, thousands of aides, probably millions of pages—and it comes down to such a granular level. I wondered, where is the room for the big picture in it?

I understand why my Representative, and all Representatives, I’m sure, focus on the needs of their constituents. They want to serve those who elected them, and they want to be re-elected.

But I can also see why things move so slowly—our government is a giant machine and it takes time and an enormous amount of effort to get it started up and lumbering toward a different goal.

After this meeting, I feel like if we want this thing to switch course, we’re all gonna have to get out and push! I’m totally willing to do that ... how about you?

(image by SharkeyinColo via flickr)