Empowering Veterans and Military Families to Safeguard Democracy: Insights from Washington DC
On July 24 and 25, The Chamberlain Network participated in a two day Summit in Washington DC, dedicated to a pressing issue: how to actively engage veterans and military family members in the protection of democracy. Hosted in partnership with Secure Families Initiative and Veterans for All Voters, the event focused on equipping stakeholders with the tools and knowledge needed to advocate on the most urgent issues to our communities.
For The Chamberlain Network, the focus was the threat of rising political violence. We gathered veteran leaders from Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania to share their perspectives on local and national democracy protection challenges, and to leverage their unique perspective on preventing political violence. Attendees shared their personal experiences serving on the front lines and seeing political violence abroad on deployments in countries like Iraq and Lebanon, where democratic norms were eroding in real time.
“Putting veterans to work is an important part of The Chamberlain Network’s mission,” said TCN’s Founder and CEO Chris Purdy, “We’re taking veteran leaders and giving them the training and skills needed to make an impact in their communities.”
Attendees put their advocacy training to immediate use by spending a day on Capitol Hill meeting with Congressional leaders from both the Senate and the House. They introduced the United Pledge for Peace campaign, which is a commitment by elected officials, veterans, and citizens to actively oppose political violence and violent rhetoric. The Chamberlain Network delegates unanimously agreed that, in today’s political climate, elected officials must take a leading role in publicly condemning political violence.
After the Summit, The Chamberlain Network delegates are returning to their communities energized to continue their work on a local and national level. Join them by signing up for more news from The Chamberlain Network here, and making your own commitment to The United Pledge for Peace.