Category: Other Advocacy Topics

Florida, Please be alert to two things this month:

• National legislators are on vacation in September and this would be a good time to visit them. We are all on the Two-minute Activist, but personal contact is even more effective. There’s a group of women in Jacksonville who show up at Rubio’s local office and our local representative’s office every week to politely let them know what they think of current issues. What do you think of that? They are motivated. Where are we? We are the established, educated women advocates since 1881. Make plans to visit this month and you will have plenty to talk about, primarily budget issues.
• National AAUW has chosen Florida to plan and host a press conference regarding the release of the new version of The Simple Truth About the Gender Wage Gap during the week of September 18. By that time, Rep. Berman and Sen. Stewart will probably have filed the Florida equal pay bill, so there will be a lot to talk about. More on this later.

2 new  FL. Legislature Bills have been filed that are worrisome.    One is a claim from Justice2Jesus saying that the Legislature didn’t properly act on its lobbying between 2006-2008.

The other is Steube’s Human Trafficking Bill.   While an improvement, it has two worrisome areas.   It says that teachers must follow the curriculum at all times.   It also says human trafficking should be taught from grades 7-12.   However, the prime age for victims is averaged at 11-14.    The education must start earlier.

I am honored to serve another two-year term as AAUW Florida Director for Public Policy. I hope this blog will help us share information and inspiration.

Here are some suggestions and pleas for the new year:

1. Do not become paralyzed by the number of things that are going wrong. As an individual, you could pick one way to advocate every day, or every week, and that would make a real contribution. You can call a legislator or write a letter to the editor any day. Check the newspaper’s guidelines for letter or op-ed submission. Use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist regularly. As a branch, please do plan at least one event a year when you will publicly (not just in the branch meeting!) advocate for AAUW’s public policy priorities. See suggestions below.
2. Concentrate on educating your community. If we are the “educated women”, let’s use that and try to create occasions for the dissemination of facts and real-life observations and for civil dialogue. Anyone can attend a rally and wave a placard, and we can certainly do that, but would it not be our particular mission to educate and try to change hearts and minds with information? A great man I used to know who advocated before legislators said that they want “facts and a few good stories”. We love facts. For example, The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap is full of them. We need some compelling stories, because they are powerful in influencing opinion. Just make sure they are true stories!
3. Work with “diverse allies and coalitions” as AAUW recommends, but check them out first. Find out if their goals and mode of operation are consistent with your values and our public policy. See http://www.aauw.org/resource/workshop-how-to-build-coalitions/.

Here are some types of advocacy events you can consider. You can learn about most of them and more on the AAUW website.

1. Events featuring education
   1. Issue forum, perhaps with coalitions or allies. http://www.aauw.org/resource/organize-an-issue-forum/
   2. Letters to editor or op-eds. http://www.aauw.org/resource/lte-vs-op-ed/
   3. Tabling event at which you distribute AAUW literature and talk with people. http://www.aauw.org/resource/how-to-tabling/
   4. Open meeting to discuss advocacy: like issue forum but might have a broader focus

1. Events to influence legislators
   1. In-district meeting with elected officials http://www.aauw.org/resource/how-to-hold-a-meeting-with-your-elected-officials/
   2. Call-in day: get together and call legislators
   3. Lobby Days: Let’s go to Tallahassee!