Published:
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Policy Advocacy intern Sewheat Asfaha comes to the ACLU-WA after volunteering for several nonprofits, with each experience nurturing her passion for protecting the civil liberties of marginalized people. Through working with these populations she has learned how they are systematically discriminated against.
“The immigrant populations I worked with in Tukwila and White Center have built strong communities to help each other, but they still face barriers in getting access to the same opportunities as U.S. citizens,” Sewheat said. “With low-income students, I have seen how education inequality is also tied to state and national policies. My experiences have shown me that the civil liberties of low-income families and people of color have not been adequately protected.”
At the ACLU of Washington, Sewheat is working on voter rights restoration for people with criminal records, a population that has to overcome a strong stigma. In our state, people with records can regain the right to vote if they have fulfilled all of the conditions of their sentence. But assisting them in regaining their voting rights comes with a major challenge.
“Many people who have been incarcerated don’t know that they have the right to vote, and we are working to change that,” Sewheat said. “I am researching organizations across Washington, starting in Yakima. I’m going to be sending them information on voting rights restoration so that they can pass this information on to former convicts they are in contact with.”
Sewheat’s interest in civil liberties also is evident in her experiences at Bowdoin College in Maine, where she is majoring in French and Government. She participates in Bowdoin Students for Justice in Palestine and in Bowdoin Address, a club that examines racial injustices and works to open up conversations about race. Back in the Pacific Northwest – she’s a graduate of Highline High School – Sewheat has also worked with United Way of Washington Summer Meals Program and the Refugee Women’s Alliance. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, watching movies, reading her way to her goal of ten books this summer, and spending time with her cat named Oprah and her dog named X.
“The immigrant populations I worked with in Tukwila and White Center have built strong communities to help each other, but they still face barriers in getting access to the same opportunities as U.S. citizens,” Sewheat said. “With low-income students, I have seen how education inequality is also tied to state and national policies. My experiences have shown me that the civil liberties of low-income families and people of color have not been adequately protected.”
At the ACLU of Washington, Sewheat is working on voter rights restoration for people with criminal records, a population that has to overcome a strong stigma. In our state, people with records can regain the right to vote if they have fulfilled all of the conditions of their sentence. But assisting them in regaining their voting rights comes with a major challenge.
“Many people who have been incarcerated don’t know that they have the right to vote, and we are working to change that,” Sewheat said. “I am researching organizations across Washington, starting in Yakima. I’m going to be sending them information on voting rights restoration so that they can pass this information on to former convicts they are in contact with.”
Sewheat’s interest in civil liberties also is evident in her experiences at Bowdoin College in Maine, where she is majoring in French and Government. She participates in Bowdoin Students for Justice in Palestine and in Bowdoin Address, a club that examines racial injustices and works to open up conversations about race. Back in the Pacific Northwest – she’s a graduate of Highline High School – Sewheat has also worked with United Way of Washington Summer Meals Program and the Refugee Women’s Alliance. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, watching movies, reading her way to her goal of ten books this summer, and spending time with her cat named Oprah and her dog named X.
