Empowering Voices: Advocacy and Me - Amplifying Impact, Igniting Change
Last week, I took some much needed R&R. Now back to the grind.
She Impacts Policy is gearing up for our first networking mixer! We can’t wait to introduce the team and our services. Moreover, we are thrilled that you are interested in the world of policy and advocacy as more Black and Brown women are needed at the table.
Given our mission to increase the number of policy babes in the field, I wanted to share my story and why I chose advocacy.
As a nine year old, I witnessed firsthand my family’s struggle with navigating the juvenile justice system. At the age of 16, my oldest male cousin stood trial for murder. My family desperately sought fair representation but ultimately could not afford a lawyer that would provide the necessary defense to prove his innocence. So, he was tried as an adult and sent to prison for over a decade. It was a gut wrenching experience for all of us. I believe my father – who is a father figure to most of my male cousins – took it the worst. Seeing the heartbreak and defeat in his eyes because he could not save his nephew was painful and has been seared in my memory.
That experience shaped me in ways that I never imagined. I made a career out of advocacy and being part of change because I never want anyone to undergo the hardship that my family faced. From working on campaigns while in graduate school to working in both the U.S. House and Senate, serving in the U.S. Peace Corps, being an advocate for cancer patients and women who’ve experienced intimate partner violence, becoming a lawyer, and now as a lobbyist working to revolutionize the cancer screening landscape by offering new ways to detect this deadly disease, advocacy has become my lifeblood.
I shared my story for you to see that purpose is often born out of tragedy. There’s no guidebook or step by step process to breaking into advocacy. Oftentimes, people ended up in the policy and advocacy arena because they have had an experience that caused them to desire change. If you are passionate about removing barriers and developing equitable policies that benefit all then you are ready to be an advocate!
Remember your voice and life experiences are powerful! I encourage you to lean on your personal story to hone your advocacy skills. I challenge you to amplify your advocacy efforts in spaces like health care, reproductive rights, education, environmental justice, economic equity, housing, and gun violence, to help improve the lives of Black and Brown people. Our communities deserve better health outcomes, access to clean water and air, generational wealth, higher education opportunities, and much much more. If we collectively raise our voices against shortsighted policies that have destroyed and/or created barriers in our communities then we can change the status quo.
While advocacy isn’t easy, it’s definitely worth it! Big waves are made from small ripples. Let’s work together to turn the tide.