When she thinks of Tibet, she thinks of the suffering of Tibetans still in the country. She thinks of strip mining and mass deforestation at the hands of the Chinese. She thinks of the hundreds of thousands of Tibetans who, forbidden to practice Buddhism in Tibet, are afraid to go home. And she thinks of the compassion that their political and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, cultivates. Because she grew up Buddhist and aware of the situation in Tibet, it seems natural that she would also take an active role in Students for a Free Tibet.
Students is a grassroots organization.
We had over 750,000 postcards signed to deliver to President Clinton. The organization started with three chapters, one of them Madison's, in 1994. Since then, the number of chapters has grown to 400. The Madison chapter remains one of the most active. There are more than 300 Tibetans living in Madison.