Brothers attend ‘On the Hill’ summit

Brothers Jordan and Justin Hershman of La Cañada Flintridge were in Washington, D.C. Sept. 12 through 15 to attend the 2015 “On the Hill” legislative summit sponsored by Jack and Jill of America, Inc. The organization is comprised of mothers with children ages 2 through 19 and is dedicated to nurturing future African-American leaders.

The local siblings, both eighth-grade students at Polytechnic Middle School in Pasadena, were accompanied on the trip by their mother, Kim Clayton Hershman and other member of the Pasadena Chapter of Jack and Jill.

The Hershmans and other participants visited the East Wing of the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress. They attended legislative worships and participated in a candlelight vigil and march to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, among other activities. One highlight was listening to a presentation by Dianne Braddock, whose sister Carole Robertson was one of the four little girls killed in the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham, Ala. church.

During the summit, Justin Hershman, who chose to write on the topic of the 50th anniversary of the Selma March, captured second place in an essay contest.