Reflection 3: Thursday, June 17th (Anna Marston – Council for Court Excellence)

Category: Personal Contributions

Unlike previous internship experiences I’ve had, my Policy Internship at CCE has been one where I can see tangible impacts of my contributions to the organization, the DC community, and the country. Despite the fact that I am a student intern, I am involved in work that full-time staff members do on a regular basis; I finally feel as if I am not doing the “busy work” that I am not entirely gaining experience in. So far, the most tangible personal contribution I have made to CCE was helping the Deputy Director, Emily, draft testimony for the annual DC  budget oversight hearing for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Each year, the Mayor of Washington DC proposes the budget strategy for the next fiscal year, and advocates, organizations, and residents spend weeks of the summer challenging or supporting certain aspects of the budget. Throughout the “budget season” of advocacy, live testimonies are given to the DC Council to advocate for or against the funding of particular agencies and projects in the District. My effort came in the form of helping CCE and its partnered group, the District Task Force on Jails and Justice, write testimony advocating for the divestment of MPD and reinvestment into the DC Department of Transportation, Department of Behavioral Health, and more. My contributions are for a greater cause for which I am passionate about–diverting calls from the police–and pushing for racial justice. I contributed to this project as an individual while writing the testimony itself, and collaboratively with my Deputy Director and the other interns. This personal contribution has been rewarding and great learning exposure to me as I had never been involved in budget advocacy before. You can watch the hearing here to see how it works!

Looking forward to the rest of the summer, as I am only finishing up my third week at CCE, I am looking to secure myself additional learning opportunities of this sort. I am in the process of securing informational interviews with members of the District Task Force on Jails and Justice–as they are advocates I admire and have taken a career path that is of interest to me. I am also looking to connect virtually with members of the CCE Board of Directors. Members of the CCE Board come from law firms, business firms, civic organizations, and more, and I even met a UR alum at one of the Youth Justice Committee Meetings last week. By making these professional connections, I am hoping that I can present even more opportunities for myself to make a difference in the DC justice system in the future and during my internship at CCE. By connecting with CCE professionals and stakeholders in DC, I will be able to get involved with more collaborative advocacy projects during my internship and beyond.