Advocacy Week 2021: Advocacy Actions You Can Take

This spring, the Center for Civic Engagement hosted our 4th annual Advocacy Day, reimagined into Advocacy Week! 

This post contains an overview of the week, including specific Advocacy Actions provided by the speakers. Some of these contain specific legislative bills that are supported by the corresponding speaker. If you want to advocate for these bills, you can call or email your elected official in Massachusetts to ask them to support them. Find the contact information for your elected official.
 

Mental Health

• Michelle Ward, Monica Luke, and Takeya Faison
• National Alliance on Mental Illness Massachusetts (namimass.org/)
• Recording of event.

Mental Health Advocacy Actions

Access to Care

• An Act for supportive care for serious mental illness (SD1789 / HD3587)

• An Act to better coordinate suicide prevention services, behavioral health crisis care and emergency services through 988 implementation (SD2065 / HD2692)

Criminal Legal Reform

• An Act to ensure the constitutional rights and human dignity of prisoners on mental health watch (SD 2386 / HD3974)

• An Act To Create Alternatives For Community Emergency Services (Aces) (SD2352 / HD3807)

Housing

• An Act promoting housing stability and homelessness prevention in Massachusetts (SD1906 / HD2441)

Find more information.

Immigrant Rights

• Elsabel Rincon (elsabelr@nswin.org) 
• Welcome Immigrant Network (welcomeimmigrantnetwork.org/home) 
• Recording of event.

Advocacy Actions

End Prevention Through Deterrence and Operation Streamline

• Sign the Petition to Congress!

Massachusetts Safe Communities Act (SD.532 / HD.1165)

• Find more information here: Key Features of the Safe Communities Act

• Sign the Petition!

Massachusetts Work and Family Mobility Act (S.2641 / H.3012) 

• Send an Email to Your Representatives!

• Email Elsabel to get involved in the Welcome Immigrant Network as a volunteer or intern

Climate Justice

• Ella McDonald (ella@actonmass.org) 
• Sunrise Movement Boston
• Recording of event.

Advocacy Actions

Support Mass Renews Priority Bills:

• Building Justice with Jobs (SD2102 / HD3338)

• Food Justice with Jobs (SD1581 / HD3246)

• Food Justice Frontline (SD2354 / HD3806)

• Find more information.

Get involved in Salem’s Sunrise Movement!

• Sunrise Salem is currently looking for students who want to get involved and students interested in taking on leadership roles!

• Email Joey Wologevicz at  j_wolongevicz@salemstate.edu 

• Instagram: @sunrisemvmtsalem

• Twitter: @sunrisesalem

Gender Discrimination

• Kimberly Barboza (SSU '19), Elizabeth “Betsy” Kim, & Sarah Jurinsky
• Former Fellows at End Rape on Campus
• Recording of event.

Advocacy Actions

PEAR Program

• Your student group can get training with SSU’s PEAR Program, pear@salemstate.edu 

Massachusetts Healthy Youth Act (SD.2178 / HD.3454)

• Find more information here: barcc.org/legislativeadvocacy/hya 

• Contact Sec. of Ed Miguel Cardona and demand that the DoEd rescind Devos’ Title IX guidelines immediately 

• Sign the Petition!

Discovering Your Role in Social Change

• Deepa Iyer
• Building Movement Project (buildingmovement.org/)
• Recording of event.

Resources:

• Explore the Social Change Ecosystem Map to find your role(s)

• Listen to the Solidarity Is Podcast

• Join the free and virtual Spring 2021 Solidarity Semester

• Follow on social media:

  • Twitter: @dviyer, @BldingMovement

  • Instagram: @deepaviyer, @BuildingMovementProject