Emma Marks Testifies Against 'Stand Your Ground' Before Ohio Senate Committee
Upon hearing her name called to testify in the Senate Chambers at the Ohio Statehouse Dec. 4, Wilmington College junior Emma Marks moved toward the podium, confident and relaxed, yet conscious that the eyes of state lawmakers were upon her.
PICTURED: WC junior Emma Marks stands in front of the State House in Columbus.
This scenario would have been unfathomable only two short years ago when she enrolled at Wilmington College based upon a desire to study agriculture at a private school.
Since then, Marks has witnessed firsthand how public policy and legislation influence not only farm and food issues, but also everything from public safety to immigration and war. More importantly, she’s also learned how seemingly ordinary citizens can do extraordinary things by affecting change through advocacy and community organizing.
She is a junior majoring in agriculture communications and political science with a minor in sustainability. Her time at WC has been a testament to the impact one person can make when armed with both a will and a way.
“I’ve grown and explored political science and advocacy in ways I never imagined,” she said, in praising her Wilmington College experience. “I imagine there aren’t many students from other colleges that have such lobbying experience.”
Marks represented Amnesty International as Ohio’s legislative coordinator in testifying before the Senate Oversight and Government Reform Committee regarding House Bill 228, which deals with self-defense and handling firearms. The bill earlier passed the Ohio House featuring a controversial provision known as “Stand Your Ground,” a law that establishes the right to defend oneself against real and perceived threats — even to the point of using lethal force regardless of whether retreat or de-escalation of the situation had occurred.
She said the law, which is in the books in 33 states, has resulted in numerous preventable homicides and there is strong evidence it discriminates against persons-of-color.
While only a college junior, Marks is a veteran lobbyist who has held leadership roles in numerous training sessions from Wilmington College to Washington, D.C. Indeed, the College is known for offering this signature, hands-on learning experience in lobbying through a close association with the Friends Committee on National Legislation and other qualified entities.
Marks recalled her strategy leading up to being among the nearly three-dozen activists, including pastors, veterans and law enforcement officers, who testified before the committee.
“My lobbying experience taught me to try and find a common ground, so I spoke about my family’s hunting tradition,” Marks said, noting she wished to make it clear to even the most hawkish senators that she wasn’t approaching the issue as an advocate for banning all firearms.
“I grew up around guns and I know how to handle them safely and how to care for them. It’s been passed from my great uncle to my grandfather to my generation.”
Marks then shared how, as a member of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence (OCAGV), she hosted a community discussion on gun violence in Wilmington, which shined an additional light on the 106 lives lost each day to gun violence in America.
While House Bill 228 includes much more than the Stand Your Ground provision that OCAGV and Amnesty oppose, Marks focused on that particular legal clause as “inherently dangerous” and a law that would “put my friends and neighbors at risk.”
She also noted how the American Bar Assn, has found the Stand Your Ground provision as “unpredictable, uneven and results in racial disparities.” Quite simply, white shooters are more likely to have their homicides ruled as justified than black defendants whose victims are white.
“I feel very strongly about this issue,” she added. “Stand Your Ground laws embolden shooters to act with impunity — shooting first and thinking later.”
The Senate committee considered her testimony and that of the other activists in striking the Stand Your Ground provision from the bill before sending it for a vote by the entire Senate, which passed the bill 48 hours later. The amended bill returned to the House, where it was concurred with amendments. Gov. John Kasich indicated he would veto the original bill if it reached his desk, which would be fine with Marks; however she is uncertain how striking the controversial provision might affect his stance.
“We see this as a victory,” she said, noting how “empowering” if feels to share one’s beliefs with elected officials — and see a result. “It required a lot of hard work and organizing to get that provision out of the bill. Everyone involved should be proud of it.”
Dr. Michael Snarr, professor of political science, praised Marks for her commitment to peaceful change through her participation in government.
“Emma is the first student of mine to testify before the state legislature, while still in college,” he said. “It’s very exciting to see Emma put a lot of her skills to work. She has done so much already as a result of her lobbying experience.”
Marks has taken on numerous leadership positions since coming to WC. In addition to organizing student trips to Washington, D.C., for training in lobbying, she is involved with the Honors Program, the Amnesty International chapter and It’s On Us, a sexual assault victim advocacy group. She also is student coordinator for a very successful program designed to recruit local residents to attend the College.
During WC’s Spring Break, she will work on an organic goat farm in The Netherlands and, this summer, she will engage in an internship, through the Peace Resource Center at WC, in which she will “interact peacefully with people and the Earth,” growing food and running peace camps at Peace Culture Village near Hiroshima, Japan.
Looking ahead to her graduation after fall 2019, Marks plans to use her unique WC training in pursuing advocacy and community organizing. “I really care about human rights and the way people are treated around the world,” she said.
