Jan. 16 was Richmond, Virginia’s annual Lobby Day.
Lobby Day transpires on State Capitol grounds and its surrounding areas. Lobby Day, alternately known as Advocacy Day, is an annual event in which nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) advocate for specific legislation their NGO supports. On Monday, these NGOs advocated for their causes to lawmakers at Virginia’s General Assembly.
I had the unique opportunity to attend Lobby Day as an observer. I observed six varying nongovernmental organizations lobby and rally on the State Capitol grounds.
Disclaimer: I did not witness NGO representatives speak with Virginia Legislators and Legislative Aides as that takes place within the General Assembly Building at 900 East Main St. I strictly observed rallying from inside the State Capitol Square.
Lobby Day began with rallies at 8 a.m. but police officers, firefighters, paramedics and event security were in place around 5 a.m. the morning of. The day ended well after 5 p.m. with the last group rallying at 4 p.m. Event coordinators had the event set up and taken down within reasonable hours. I was able to witness a majority of these proceedings in real-time as I was on State Capitol grounds from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Most interestingly, each group had their set times to rally and speak with the Virginia legislators with an hour of downtime in between so as not to disturb one another’s campaign. For example, an NGO would rally from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the square, but the next NGO wouldn’t rally until 11:00 a.m. or 11:30 a.m., respectively. With previous years’ rallies’ and protests’ dangersome reputation, I was contented to see the civil and respectful attitudes of all NGOs in attendance. That is not to say individuals did not act inappropriately on Capitol grounds, but the majority of groups I observed were courteous toward each other’s time to advocate for what they support.
Some of the topics rallied for at Lobby Day 2023 were raises for public educators, pro-gun control, anti-gun control, anti-vaccine mandates and rent control. The only opposing views advocated for were those on gun control. Jackie DeFusco from 8 News reported live from the Capitol, elaborating on the dueling rallies.
Jan. 16, Lobby Day, having been my first, real-time observed political event, I was interested to see the amount of security and law enforcement at the State Capitol square. I can only assume the volume of projected participants was overshot. The largest group there was the advocates for anti-gun control. Although firearms are not allowed on the square grounds, many supporters carried their weapons throughout the city of Richmond. It was a very surreal experience to witness a large group of people carrying grand firearms around the city.
Overall, I appreciate the opportunity to witness citizens advocate for something they are passionate about. Whether you agree with what the NGOs support or not, it is very original to the human experience to feel and observe passion. I would most definitely welcome the opportunity to attend Lobby Day for a second time. By stepping away from my own political views I was able to recognize a vast demographic of people with widely varying opinions come to the same place with one goal: to advocate for what they believe in.