Text of Remarks: Sr. Seton Cunneen Fellow Eileen Denny '07

September 10, 2004

Albert Einstein once said "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." It has been my role and the roles of these other Cunneen fellows this summer to not be the people who do nothing when they see evil, but to do everything they can, to change the evil around us. It has been my pleasure this summer to work as a Cunneen fellow at the Institute on Religion and Public Policy. The Institute is a "non-profit, non-partisan, inter-religious organization that seeks to shape the public participation in policy of the American community of faith." To quote the IRPP web site, "The Institute seeks to provide a trusted, balanced forum where Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, and peoples of all faiths and beliefs can meet and come to an understanding and plan of action on issues of common concern. The Institute provides an opportunity for individuals and organizations of diverse backgrounds, who may otherwise never have an opportunity for such cooperation, to sit at the same table in a respectful and open dialogue to collaborate on issues affecting religion and public policy in the United States and around the world."

There were many factors that contributed to my becoming a Cunneen Fellow. Before coming to college, my junior year of high school, I attended the National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense, Intelligence, and Diplomacy. It was here that I met Mr. Joeseph Grieboski the founder of the Institute, in a panel on Religious Freedom in Public Policy. After the panel discussion ended a few of us remained to continue to talk Mr. Grieboski. It was then that he gave us his card and extended an offer of an internship. I was enthralled by his stories of sneaking into Sudan so that a Bishop could say Mass, and how he was at that point banned from, I believe 7 countries. I was also interested that Dean Jones, better knows as the man off of Herbie and the Love Bug, was on his board of advisors.

Growing up two things were made clear in my family, first that I would be the first in my mothers family to attend college, and second that I would return to the East Coast for college. This thought in mind, I was excited to know that my fathers God mother, Carol Murray (Hogan) class of 1962 had attended Trinity College. The combination of family having attended Trinity and my understanding of the vast opportunities that Washington DC could allow me, led to my coming to Trinity. Realizing that I needed to seize some of these opportunities, I decided that I did not wish to return to the Mid-West for the summer, and I began to search for a way that I could fully utilize my surroundings. Miss McCrabb emphatically persuaded me to apply for this fellowship so, putting all doubts aside I applied and was accepted.

While working at the Institute I became very interesting in human trafficking and all of it's implications. I was able to get the copy of the State Dept's trafficking in persons report and further research the effects of human trafficking. I also looked at the Labor Departments report that was almost identical to the State Departments, but it concentrates on children. In fact, I presented a case study on human trafficking to the other Cunneen fellows. I attended a congressional hearing and then decided to interview Michelle Clark who is the Co-Director of the Protection Project at the school of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Miss. Clark became aware of the growing problem of human trafficking when teaching English in Israel. At this time many women were being trafficked into Israel from former Soviet states, and the teachers were being taught how to recognize a person who might be the victim of trafficking. I quickly realized that a large portion of the problem with human trafficking is that people do not know how massive a problem it is, and in many cases that it is even exists, especially within one's own country.

As an International Affairs major, I felt that I had a somewhat firm grasp on events occurring around the world, but in hindsight, I realize now how naïve and uninformed I really was. This internship opened my eyes more fully to the realization of human suffering around the world. Although while traveling to Nicaragua I was able to see a degree of human suffering that is absent from America's streets, I don't think that I really was fully able to grasp the extent of suffering that people endure for the sake of their religion, their faith, their belief. Many people feel that religious repression and persecution are limited to third world countries, but the startling truth is that prejudice exists everywhere. A current example is the anti-hijab law in France, which although, banning any outward form of religious garb, directly focuses's and attacks Islamic head scarves or, hijab. I and many others agree to the statement by Mr. Grieboski that, "While no one can deny the right of a state to protect itself and its citizens from violent acts committed by extremists in the name of religion, the court has unduly equated the wearing of religious garb by anyone as a political act and not a religious one." This question of secularism is one that raises many questions and emotions, and will most likely not ever be solved to a point of satisfaction of all parties involved.

From the Christian singer being held in a storage bin in the steaming sun in Eritrea, to the Buddhists and Falun Gong being persecuted in China, to the Darfur refugees, people are being repressed for their religious beliefs everyday. The promotion of religious freedom for all people of the world is extremely important and I'm grateful for the opportunity to work at the Institute this summer. I would also like to thank Mr. Grieboski for allowing me to be his intern and to the Ford family and the work of Sister Seaton Cunneen for allowing this fellowship to be a reality. A next step for me is to foster dialogue on Trinity's campus that transcends religious boundaries and brings together all Trinity women regardless of their race, culture, religion or ethnicity.

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