To the editor:

Thanks for printing Laura Finley’s informative article about the problems of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). (“Congress Must Reauthorize VAWA” by Laura Finley, The Bainbridge Island Review, Dec. 11)

Ms. Finley says if we “all implore Congress to act on the reauthorization of VAWA” it will be more likely to happen. Witness the recent Farm Bill passing with the version that left the SNAP (food stamp program) intact. People spoke up to protect America’s first line of defense against hunger. Similarly, calls and letters have supported the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria since its founding in 2002. Since then 27 million lives have been saved. Citizen voices are already beginning in support of America’s leadership for the Global Fund’s reauthorization next October. The same can happen for the VAWA’s reauthorization, if we take the time to speak to those who represent us.

WILLIE DICKERSON

Snohomish