Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f1SIIA902865; Wed, 28 Feb 2001 13:18:10 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 13:18:10 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <sa9cf67a.057@langate.gsu.edu> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Daphne Greenberg" <ALCDGG@langate.gsu.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:1273] Political advocacy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=_297283DA.F899FEF9" X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 5.5.3.1 Status: O Content-Length: 20949 Lines: 558 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Wow-what a powerful experience for you and your students! Thanks for sharing this with us. I am wondering if there are other listserv members who may wish to describe similar political advocacy measures? Daphne Greenberg Associate Director Center for the Study of Adult Literacy Georgia State University University Plaza Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 phone: 404-651-0127 fax:404-651-1400 dgreenberg@gsu.edu >>> deborah@alri.org 02/15/01 06:05PM >>> Daphne, (This is a long one) Thanks for inviting me to share the experience of lobbying for legislation in Massachusetts that would have created exemption status for certain women and children as they faced the welfare time limit. About 8 women adult ed. students and myself (their teacher) decided that for our "How Laws are Passed" unit in the social studies GED curriculum we would learn about, analyze and lobby for the legislation that was drafted by the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and Mass. Legal Services and that sought to create exemptions to women who were facing the end of welfare eligibility. The exemption status included: women who were "victims of domestic violence, or women who were caring full time for elders or sick family members, or women who had families that were facing eviction and homelessness, or women who were diagnosed as LD or victims of trauma." These bills were being voted on in the Spring of 1998. So we (the class- which by the way was the adult ed. component of a family literacy program) read the bills, participated in role-playing and lobbying-preparation meetings sponsored by the agencies who drafted the bills, wrote our life narratives, and the women also prepared their children for lobbying, explaining to them what they were doing and the context in which they were doing it- being cut off the welfare roles. We also spent time researching which Senators and Reps were responsive to low-income family and community needs-- looking up their records, and which were not. We choose who we would lobby based on two factors: 1. geographic district- who represented us directly 2- alliances (we choose 2 allies -- two African American leaders within the Mass. who have long histories of working for poor people and others who are disenfranchised). We also spent time researchig how a bill was passed into law both on the state level and the national level. And we were excited. This was studying and applying knowledge to a meaningful situation. When the women scheduled their appointments with the legislators and their aides, they were asked if they were registered to vote. None of them were. Within a week all of them had registered. Their vote meant something- for the first time- the act of registering to vote had a direct effect on whether or not they would be heard. We had a lot of support from other grassroots Welfare Rights Activists as we prepared to lobby. My students talked about feeling part of something. We discussed the event and how we might respond if we were provoked or ignored by the legislators. As a group we targeted 5 legislators. The two who are allies were wonderful. In fact, one of those Senators was the lead sponsors of the bill. Many of the students cried when they told their stories and expressed their fears about what would happen to their children without the support of education or social welfare programs as they tried to move out of poverty. I have a memory of an aide in that office office crying along as one of the women spoke. When we arrived at the two Senators' offices whose district included most of the students, we found out that neither of them had time for us and that in once case the aides didn't either. We had confirmed each appointment earlier, but we weren't a priority. We were shooed out of the office. One of the other legislators listened to us. But one said that he didn't want any emotionalism and that I would have to talk for everyone. I spoke briefly and succinctly and mentioned the number of the bill a lot, and on the way out one of my students reminded him that she has the power to vote him into office, or not. All and all it was a mixed bag. And I'm sure people who lobby all the time, don't think twice when a senator blows you off or tries to shut you down. I know from the little experience I have lobbying, with and without students, that there are two things that ultimately determine effectiveness: 1. (and this is pretty obvisous) how much clout you seem to carry within the district, and the level of sympathy that the legislator expresses for your issues. 2. the context of your lobbying efforts (are you part of a larger movement? Are there others who are lobbyiing on the same day? Are there resources devoted to educating the legislators about your issues? How do the legislators perceive public opinion in relationship to the issues you are lobbying for? The bills were defeated. But both myself and the women I was working with were empowered. I went to visit one of my x-students about two months ago, and she had a scrap book of pictures, photo-clippings and her statement that she read to the Senator that day- all together in this book that she had decorated. She's also been working with Greater Boston Legal Services to apply for other kinds of state and federal benefits and relief because of her LD diagnose. This is not the same as winning legislation to protect you, but it's better than nothing. And she learned about these services and connections through her lobbying efforts. Deborah Schwartz Boston, MA . ---- Daphne Greenberg < ALCDGG@langate.gsu.edu > wrote: > Deborah, > In your email, you mention that you and your students faced State Reps and > Senators as you advocated for creating exemptions to the Massachusetts > Welfare "Reform" laws that went into effect this year. You also mention that you faced hostility. I was wondering if you felt comfortable sharing with us in more detail, the nature of the advocacy, and the hostility that you met. > Daphne > > > Daphne Greenberg > Associate Director > Center for the Study of Adult Literacy > Georgia State University > University Plaza > Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 > phone: 404-651-0127 > fax:404-651-1400 > dgreenberg@gsu.edu > > >>> deborah@alri.org 02/12/01 10:03PM >>> > The free Fannie Mae Foundation/CAL Homebuying Readiness ABE and ESOL > Curricula and supplementary guides can be ordered by calling 1-800-665-0012 > or visiting the Fannie Mae Foundation's Web site at: > http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org Their official titles are How to Buy a > Home in the United States: AESL Student work book (and accompanying > teachers' guide) and How to Buy Your First Home: ABE Student work book (and > accompanying teachers' guide). The foundation has set it up so that anyone > can order a free sample to review, and/or a free classroom set of 20 > students' books and one teachers' guide. > > The supplemental brochures are entitled: Borrowing Basics: What You Don't > Know Can Hurt You (a guide to predatory lending), Opening the Door to a Home > of Your Own (an overview of the homebuying process), Knowing and > Understanding Your Credit, and New Americans Guide: How to Become a > Citizen/How To Become a Homeowner. Most of these guides can also be ordered > in Chinese, Korean, Khmer, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Portuguese, > Polish, Russian, and are also free. > > If there are any problems with ordering, please feel free to email me > directly deborah@alri.org > > The accompanying ABE and ESOL homebuying readiness teacher's sourcebook > should be available by mid-March. I will post more to the list once it's > actually published. > > And Andrea, I like that idea of rehearsing for power. It reminds me of > preparing myself and adult women students to face our State Reps and > Senators as we advocated for creating exemptions to the Massachusetts > Welfare "Reform" laws that went into effect this year. I wish we had spent > more time rehearsing/role playing; in a way we weren't prepared for the > level of hostility that we met. But are we ever? > > Deborah > ----- Original Message ----- > From: < AWilder106@aol.com > > To: "Multiple recipients of list" < nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov > > Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 6:01 PM > Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:1229] Re: Functional Literacy > > > > Deborah, I for one would very much like to have a copy of your curriculum > > materials. Where? > > > > I also think it is important for women to rehearse power, how to apply for > a > > driver's license, how to counter an argument, or even how to ask a > question: > > "How come you believe that?" I rehearse lines for these sorts of > discussions > > so I don't get knocked into a corner or become a door mat. > > > > Andrea > > > > > >
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