In order to create policy change, you need to engage policy actors, but this isn't always straightforward. So this module we're challenging, common conceptions about connecting to power. And we also want to help you think about initiating discussions with those powerful people. So here's our first lesson, don't that you know who the key actors are without doing research and talking to people. You'll know that legislators will playing an important role in criminal justice reform. But they might not be the ones initially engaging up with the issue or even drafting the bill. So you want to think about the journalists, the academics, even the celebrities, the artists that exert independent influences on the policy process. And think about the terminology that those people use. And why they care about the issue and how they get the attention of the news media. Second, even once you identify these people don't assume that each actor has a single interest or position. You aren't interested in only one policy or issue. In fact, if you listed all of your interests and values and beliefs some of them might contradict. People in power have diverse interests and values and responsibilities too. And so it can be difficult to categorize an interest or a person. Take United States Senator Cory Booker. He is credited for important work on our newest monumental criminal justice reform bill The First Step Act. But he's also on the board of trustees at Columbia's Teachers College. And he's a vegan and he attends a Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. These interests and the diverse communities have thought and action. And people that he travels in aren't always going to align. So we need to go beyond Senator Booker's titles and affiliations. And even his past actions to understand his position on a new piece of legislation. That's the same lesson that we hope you'll take away from the video on the Reverend Willie t Barrow. Her interests and experiences ranged from farming to welders unions to human rights. She was also a member of President Obama's inner circle. Throughout her life, the reverence diverse interests and connections enabled her to create change. Third, look for actors who have more than one role ,or source of power. Reverend Barrow is a great example because, she was a thought leader in her religious community. She was a member of the Obama's inner circle. She had deep ties at the Chicago Urban League. As someone with these diverse interests and relationships and sources of power. She would know about emerging policies and who to bring together into a room. And notice an important lesson from Reverend barrows work. She wasn't always the titled official of the organizations and networks that she influenced. She wasn't always on the masthead or the letterhead, but she still had great power. Fourth, do not assume that only politicians ,are sources of power, or, influential in the policymaking process. I know you are getting this, but we have included a community toolbox. reading to show you some different examples, to help you brainstorm a list that might be beneficial to your policy work. These other sources of power. Or powerful people include directors of human services agencies or government agencies, legislative aides, religious leaders, chambers of commerce members, senior citizen activists. And if we take this whole diverse group of people, they are people who make rules, who create entitlement programs. who leaves movements that might intersect with the movement that you're trying to create. If a solid stakeholder analysis can be used to recommend or develop further activities. including developing and launching the entire Policy. as Professor Rom explains for this module. A systematic stakeholder analysis can help you specify who should be involved in the policy discussion, and why. In other words, you can build a network and know not only who should be in that network. But what each member of the network might contribute to the entire policymaking process. Notice that this view of the policymaking process is different than some of the competitive ways that people see policymaking. It's not a debate tournament or a winner take all approach. In fact, many policies are the result of integrative bargaining, a term that I teach in my negotiation courses. integrative bargaining involves creating new ranges of options or ways to win. Or at the very least, dividing up the pie differently. When you switch from a competitive mindset to an integrated mindset. You start asking questions like, what would it take for everyone in the room to walk away satisfied. And that sort of question helps you think about everyone's interests and values. Diverse interests and values like Senator Cory Booker's. But of course you have to get the right people in the room and get everyone talking. And these lessons about connecting to power shows that we need to be resilient and have long term strategy. This is a long game and we need to be patient for monumental efforts to come to fruition. But I want to leave you with an example, of how much change can come from a thoughtful long-term process. And that is the Montgomery bus boycott of the 1950s. So, estimates of its length vary, but everyone seems to agree it was at least 12 months. 12 months of organizing rideshares for the Montgomery. Black residents of black taxi drivers taking lower fares to support the bus boycott. Have office staff, answering phone calls, organizing meetings at churches. And this bus boycott, was one of the most successful protests in our history, took a long time and involved a lot of people. But it ultimately led to the, evisceration of the Jim Crow laws. I mean, one of the most. Progressive movements in our country and in a whole new set of policies. Were the result of the bus boycott and other movements. And policymaking processes, all coming together. That's the sort of monumental change, that you are probably trying to seek. And we hope that these tools these, these stakeholder analysis tools. Will give you better footing to make that sort of monumental change.
