Dear Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) Advocates,
On Saturday, you marched with us!
You joined nearly 5 million women, men and children at the Women's March in Washington D.C. and in sister cities & towns around the globe. We marched for our right to live without fear of gun violence in our daily lives. We marched because too many of us know firsthand that guns don't make us safer.
Today, as Donald Trump signs his Executive Orders that take away women's rights and damage our environment, we are asking you get to know your three Members of Congress (MoCs) and send them a "HEAR OUR VOICE" postcard!
Former congressional staffers who witnessed the rise of the Tea Party created the INDIVISIBLE GUIDE to help activists fight for our issue (s) during Trump's Presidency. We will share these strategies with you to promote our efforts to #EndGunViolence.
We ask you to put pressure on your three Members of Congress (MoCs) — your House Representative and two Senators. Even MoCs who support your issue (s) need to hear from you so that they can adequately represent you.
1. "Begin with these five steps to gather intel. Before anything else, take the following five steps to arm yourself with information necessary for all future advocacy activities.
- Find your three MoCs, their official websites, and their office contact info at www.callmycongress.com.
- Sign up on your MoCs’ website to receive regular email updates, invites to local events, and propaganda to understand what they’re saying. Every MoC has an e-newsletter.
- Find out where your MoCs stands on the issues of the day — appointment of white supremacists, tax cuts for the rich, etc. Review their voting history at VoteSmart.org.Research their biggest campaign contributors at OpenSecrets.org.
- Set up a Google News Alert (http://www.google.com/alerts) — for example for “Rep. Bob Smith” — to receive an email whenever your MoC is in the news.
- Research on Google News (https://news.google.com/news) what local reporters have written about your MoCs. Find and follow them on Twitter, and build relationships. Before you attend or plan an event, reach out and explain why your group is protesting and provide them background materials and a quote. Journalists on deadline — even those who might not agree with you — appreciate when you provide easy material for a story"
2. Participate in Women's March on Washington's 10 Actions in 100 Days FIRST ACTION by sending "HEAR OUR VOICE" postcards to your three Members of Congress.
Download your printable postcards at home here or professionally here.
Write a postcard to your three Members of Congress about why gun violence prevention and other issues matter the most to you - and how you’re going to continue to fight for it in the days, weeks and months ahead.
You can go it alone, or consider inviting some friends, neighbors and fellow Marchers over for a drink or dinner sometime in the next ten days to talk about your experience and fill out your postcards.
- Newtown Action Alliance