During a Q & A session once, I had a chance to ask the speaker, a distinguished journalist, based on his experience, how people who are not rich or famous, who live outside the circles of power, can make their voices heard by the powerful, can make their voices matter.#
His reply was measured. “You can’t,” he said, and then paused in his thoughtful way.#
“You can’t,” he repeated. “Unless they think your voice has reach and staying power, they know that they don’t need to pay any attention to what you say.”#
That’s how I remember his answer, and I have often thought about those two ideas, reach and staying power. How can we achieve them?#
For one thing, I am convinced we have to have allies. Find kindred spirits, build partnerships, boost each other’s morale, amplify each other’s messages, strengthen and extend each other’s networks.#
My colleague Elizabeth Bennion Turba, who studies citizenship and elections, has mentioned, I believe, that relatively few letters and calls, fewer than we might expect, tend to influence elected officials. Not one letter or call, but not a superhuman number either. The number a cluster of community groups might manage, perhaps?#
Reach and staying power, and building the partnerships to get us there.#
During a Q & A session once, I had a chance to ask the speaker, a distinguished journalist, based on his experience, how people who are not rich or famous, who live outside the circles of power, can make their voices heard by the powerful, can make their voices matter.#
His reply was measured. “You can’t,” he said, and then paused in his thoughtful way.#
“You can’t,” he repeated. “Unless they think your voice has reach and staying power, they know that they don’t need to pay any attention to what you say.”#
That’s how I remember his answer, and I have often thought about those two ideas, reach and staying power. How can we achieve them?#
For one thing, I am convinced we have to have allies. Find kindred spirits, build partnerships, boost each other’s morale, amplify each other’s messages, strengthen and extend each other’s networks.#
My colleague Elizabeth Bennion Turba, who studies citizenship and elections, has mentioned, I believe, that relatively few letters and calls, fewer than we might expect, tend to influence elected officials. Not one letter or call, but not a superhuman number either. The number a cluster of community groups might manage, perhaps?#
Reach and staying power, and building the partnerships to get us there.#