By Tyson Abaroa
YourPace Student Contributor
Advocacy is the act of supporting a cause. I have a passion for fixing problems. Some of our greatest heroes were advocates. Thomas Paine, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are examples of advocates. Their famous causes were liberty and struggles for equality. Carrie Nation was a famous advocate for temperance, or prohibition, and she would visit bars with a hatchet to destroy the alcohol.
Advocacy is only effective if the public is aware of the issue. If I were the only person marching down the street to raise awareness about the need for more dog parks, most people would see just a lone person offering support. Awareness and messaging are critical to any cause.
The public needs to know an organization’s goals, why they should help out, and what kind of impact they can expect if they join the cause.
One must also consider who the messenger is.
Rosa Parks was a powerful messenger for the Freedom Riders because she was a relentless, hardworking woman. Her situation amplified the need to desegregate buses.
Having public sentiment on your side is one aspect, but partnerships with others are an additional thing advocates must consider. These partnerships can be with politicians, political parties, and non-government organizations (NGO). Forming an NGO could benefit a cause by gaining credibility and opening it up to more legislative bargaining.
Tactics are important to consider when advocating for a cause. Many tactics have been used throughout American history. The Boston Tea Party was one protest that used destruction. Carrie Nation’s use of a hatchet on alcohol is another form of destructive protest. Those don’t work well. One powerful tactic is a march. Martin Luther King Jr. led many marches that required non-violent behavior on his side. The violence perpetrated against African-Americans back then served as visual examples of the prejudice and oppression that they were resisting. Other forms of tactics are mail campaigns, commercials, and flyers. Advocacy is an essential aspect of living in a democratic republic.
The ability to vote is now accessible to all citizens, women are significantly less marginalized, and schools are accessible to all, irrespective of their ethnicity, as a result of advocacy. There are still numerous issues that require advocacy. We must press on.
