Rachel M: I came to DC in 2009 to attend college at American University and never left! I’ve met incredible passionate and generous people here and gotten involved in local and national politics. Plus, it’s easy to get around and pretty beautiful!
Rachel M: I am a national organizer for the Sierra Club. I engage with our members on ways we can build grassroots power to protect public lands and water and advocate for bold and just action on climate change and the issues that intersect.
Rachel M: Lots of Zoom meetings and Gchats! Right now I am working on pushing back against this last-ditch effort from the Trump Administration to lease land in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling. The lease is bad for our climate. It is also a huge danger to the Native Alaska communities that rely on the Refuge as a source of subsistence and culture. I’ve spent the last few weeks working to brainstorm and plan ways for volunteers to take action. Everything from webinar trainings to uplifting toolkits, and making sure our activists are comfortable using social media and other digital tools.
Rachel M: These days it starts with getting up early enough to make it to the U St Farmers Market. Then I’d bring home the farmers market haul and make something tasty with my fiancé. We like to explore nature near and far. During the pandemic we’ve spent time picnicking in Malcolm X Park, kayaking on the Potomac, walking and biking the Anacostia River Walk, or hiking in the GW National Forest. Maybe on the way home, we’ll stop at Eden Center and get a snack, or stop by someone’s house and deliver baked goods that we made earlier that week. After a big activity, we’ll get takeout from somewhere like Judy Restaurant, one of our favorite spots, and watch something. We’ve been working our way through the Sopranos over the last 9 months.
Rachel M: Trying to spend some time outside moving my body, cooking something tasty, reading (I love a good YA dystopian novel), watching food videos on YouTube, and seeing friends and family outside when the weather is nice.
Rachel M: My fiancé and I have been in wedding-planning limbo the last year. We were supposed to be married last Memorial Day and we’ve rescheduled for 2021, but we’ll see if that happens! We’re starting to think about the future and the home and life we want to build. Beyond that, I grew up in New York, so I really just want to be able to travel home and hug my friends and family safely. Hopefully we can start traveling again this summer. Our honeymoon was planned for Italy and Croatia, so it would be great to do that someday.
Rachel M: I feel really thankful to the various Jewish communities I’ve been part of in DC – IfNotNow and the New Synagogue Project, to name a couple. Each has been a place to learn, grow, meet new people, and celebrate Jewish traditions and holidays. There’s also a place to come together to fight for justice that is embedded in our Jewish values.
Rachel M: …we are a powerful community.
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