Ujima: An Action Guide
African Americans Building Stronger, Healthier
Tobacco Free Communities Together
Complete Draft (Pre State Approval and Edits)
Prepared by Makani Themba-Nixon for the African American Action Team
Substance Abuse Services Section
NC Department of Health & Human Services
About This Guide
This guide is designed for communities, organizations, and individuals that seek
to address the toll of tobacco related problems in African American communities.
We focus on African American communities because of 1) the dearth of materials
to support tobacco prevention work in our communities and 2) the need for
culturally specific tools to address our communities' unique and varied
relationship to tobacco.
The guide is grounded in the seven principles of Kwanzaa or the Nguzo Saba as
developed by Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder of the Kwanzaa holiday. Each
principle reflects an important dimension of achievement for which we as African
Americans should strive in order to build stronger, healthier communities.
NGUZO SABA
UMOJA (UNITY) (oo-MOE-jah) - To strive for and maintain unity in the family,
community, nation and race.
KUJICHAGULIA (SELF DETERMINATION) (koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-ah) - To
define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
UJIMA (COLLECTIVE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY) (oo-JEE-mah) - To build
and maintain our community together and to make our brothers' and sisters'
problems our problems and to solve them together.
UJAMAA (COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS) (oo-JAH-mah) - To build and maintain
our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit together from them.
NIA (PURPOSE) (nee-AH) - To make as our collective vocation the building and
developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional
greatness.
KUUMBA (CREATIVITY) (koo-OOM-bah) - To do always as much as we can, in
the way that we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and
beneficial than when we inherited it.
IMANI (FAITH) (ee-MAH-nee) - To believe with all our hearts in our parents, our
teachers, our leaders, our people and the righteousness and victory of our
struggle.
From The African American Holiday of Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community
and Culture, University of Sankore Press, 1988 by Dr. Maulana Karenga. Available
online at http://melanet.com/kwanzaa/principles.html#saba
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These principles have particular relevance to the work of tobacco control and
prevention because of the tobacco industry's role in infiltrating almost every
institution in our communities. We will need unity as well as community self
determination to stand against tobacco to advance the cause of health in our
communities. We draw the name for our project from the principle of Ujima and
refer to local collaborations you are building in your community as Ujima Villages
because of the critical importance of collective work and responsibility in turning
this epidemic around. Each year, we lose more African Americans to tobacco
related causes than AIDS, illegal drugs and guns combined.
Cooperative Economics and collective purpose are important to winning this war.
It will take collective resources focused purposefully to counter the tremendous
economic exploitation of the tobacco industry. We will also most definitely need
to draw upon our creative gifts to replace this tragedy with beauty as well as our
deep and abiding faith in "the righteousness and victory of our struggle."
With so much at stake, it is clear why African Americans must be more proactive
in addressing tobacco-related problems in our communities. From advertising,
clean indoor air to blunt use, tobacco prevention is an important part of our
overall struggle for community development and dignity.
This guide briefly walks you through historical information on tobacco and African
Americans and then focuses on providing how-to oriented action steps toward
addressing tobacco related problems in your neighborhood. It is our hope that
you will use this guide to build a broad-based community mobilization to raise
awareness of the toll of tobacco -- and with your neighbors and networks, do
something about it. Whatever you choose to do, the Action Team is here to
support your efforts with training, technical assistance and other forms of support
along the way.
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Table of Contents
1
Looking Back: African Americans and Tobacco
2
What We Can Do To Make a Difference
3
Identifying Tobacco Related Challenges and Opportunities
4
Choosing an Issue
5
Organizing Our Communities
6
Using the Media
7
More Resources for the Journey
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Chapter 1
Our Roots: African Americans and Tobacco
History is a clock that people use to tell their time of day.
It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of
human geography. It tells them where they are and what
they are.
-- John Henrik Clarke
T
here is a concept in the Akan language called Sankofa which is translated
as "go back and fetch it." It is about going back to your past to retrieve
lessons, stories and other things of value. African Americans and indeed
Africans throughout the world have an important and complex history with
regard to tobacco. The first step in understanding what we should do about
tobacco today is to learn how it is a part of our past.
Tobacco has been a cash crop here in the United States since its colonization in
the1500s. The first Africans to come to what is now the United States were not
enslaved but explorers -- first from the African continent and then as part of
Spanish sailing parties. The marked change in the character and status of
Africans in the Americas, including their large-scale capture and enslavement by
Europeans starting in the 1600s, was largely as a result of expanding tobacco
plantations.
Virginia and North Carolina were major tobacco producers and large tobacco
plantations were well established before 1650. In Virginia, planters received free
land for every family member and servant in a colonial custom called a
"headright." Therefore, a planter who could make the initial "investment" in
enslaving Africans was able to reap both free land and free labor. Laws like
headright helped usher in a new kind of slavery that was more brutal, racist and
permanent than any form previously known to humanity. These unique features
like permanent bondage for those enslaved, the automatic enslavement of
children born to those in slavery, and the status and family name of the child tied
to the mother instead of the father were developed in Virginia mainly to expand
tobacco farming and make it more profitable.
With the new policies in place and spreading throughout the colonies, tobacco
grew to be the most profitable and powerful industry in the so-called New World.
It was Black toil that fed the labor-intensive industry supplied by a growing slave
trade; a trade in human beings that soon became the very foundation of seaport
economies throughout Europe and North and South America.
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After chattel slavery ended with the defeat of the South in the Civil War, African
Americans increasingly turned to tobacco as a way to make a living either on
small family farms, as sharecroppers, or as simple laborers for white plantation
owners. Throughout Virginia and the Carolinas, it was not cotton that was king.
It was Big Tobacco.
From Slave Ship to Sponsorship: The Exploitation Continues
Ironically, the same companies that began by ruthlessly exploiting Black labor
nearly 400 years ago were, by the 1940s reaching out to African Americans to
work at relatively high paying jobs in processing plants. Tobacco companies also
recruited Blacks to serve in management positions, thereby giving the growing
number of college educated Blacks an opportunity to ply their business training
when other companies would not. In fact, the industry's forward looking hiring
practices earned them the ire of the Ku Klux Klan and other poor whites that
were having trouble finding jobs after WWII. The Klan even took their anger to
the streets in the form of a picket of tobacco companies during the 1940s.
The industry's increasing support of African American causes and its public stand
against the Klan garnered them the support of many African American
organizations. Tobacco companies have become a leading source of funding for
virtually every important African American institution in our communities. Black
colleges, service programs, even civil rights groups have benefited from the
industry's largesse.
These inroads into African American communities have resulted in a virtual
monopoly on sponsorship of important cultural institutions and events. Dr. Peter
Bell, former executive director of the Institute on Black Chemical Abuse once
noted, "I am not aware of any major Black cultural event that does not have a
liquor or tobacco company as a primary sponsor." (Robinson, Sutton,
et.al.,1992) Although, thanks to advocates like you, things are changing, these
companies still provide major funding and support to many events and groups in
order to build goodwill and allies. As a result, tobacco has, in many ways,
become a part of our communities -- including a major part of our health
problems. Tobacco is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in African
American communities overall.
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Tobacco's Toll on Our Communities: The Facts
 An estimated 45,000 African Americans die from smoking-related diseases
yearly.
 African Americans are 30 percent more likely to die from smoking-related
diseases than whites and African American men stand the greatest risk of dying
from lung cancer. Cancers of the oral cavity and throat are 30 to 50 percent
higher in blacks than whites and seem to recur at an exceptionally high rate.
 Of the three leading causes of death in African Americans--heart disease,
cancer, and stroke--smoking and other tobacco use are major contributors to
these illnesses.
 Tobacco products are often laced with Coumarin, a type of rat poison,
because it was believed it would make menthol and other brands taste better.
 Cigarette smoking is more common among African American males than white
males (32.1 percent vs. 27.4 percent). Although African Americans smoke fewer
cigarettes, on average, they tend to smoke brands with higher nicotine and tar
levels. African Americans are also more likely to smoke mentholated cigarettes.
 Menthol brands were marketed specifically to African Americans and are more
addictive than other brands. These cigarettes are particularly deadly because of
the technique of "ammonia-doping" -- a practice used to boost the level of
nicotine addiction in each cigarette.
 In 1997, about 6.7 million African American adults smoked cigarettes,
accounting for approximately 14% of the 48 million adult smokers in the United
States.
 The prevalence of smoking among African Americans is 26.7 percent,
compared with 25.3 percent for whites.
If current patterns continue, an estimated 1.6 million African Americans
who are now under the age of 18 will become regular smokers. About
500,000 of those smokers will die of a smoking-related disease.
There is some good news. African Americans tend to start smoking at a later age
and are more likely to attempt to quit smoking. However, they are less likely to
succeed in quitting than whites attempting to quit. Accordingly, African American
youth use tobacco less often than white youth. However, heavy targeted
marketing by the industry in the form of product placements in music videos,
youth lifestyle magazines and concert sponsorship, are closing this gap. The rate
of cigarette smoking increased by 56 percent among African American high
school students from 1991 to 1999, climbing from 12.6 percent to 19.7 percent.
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There has been improvement even in this area: between 1997 and 1999 the
smoking rate among African American High School students declined (13.2
percent).
Things to Do and Think About
What is your community's tobacco history? Was it grown here? Processed
here? What is your community's economic relationship to tobacco?
Has the tobacco industry sponsored events or programs under their tobacco
brands or as part of a non-tobacco subsidiary? For example, Philip Morris, a
tobacco company, sometimes provides sponsorships under its Kraft food brands.
How does the past with regard to tobacco affect present day politics and
relationships? For example, do your elected officials receive money from the
industry? Is the industry very powerful here?
What is the toll of tobacco in your community? Interview people who are
suffering from tobacco related disease or have lost loved ones as a result of
tobacco related problems.
How do you young people see tobacco -- including cigars and "blunts" (scooped
out cigars used for marijuana)?
Talk with neighbors, friends, healthcare providers and county health departments
to find out how much the community loses in tobacco-related healthcare costs.
For example, are there large numbers of smokers? How many children have
asthma? Are many of these children hospitalized or miss school as a result? Is
the rate of tobacco related problems higher among African Americans in the
area?
 Activity
Make a large collage of pictures, art and words that depict your
community's history and challenges with regard to tobacco. Don't forget to
include the ways you are fighting back and making change! This will help
others understand the problems we face as well as opportunities to make a
difference.
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References
Wood, Peter H. Strange New Land: African Americans 1617-1776, Volume 1 of
the Young Oxford History of African Americans, Kelley and Lewis (eds.), Oxford
University Press, 1996.
Robinson, R.G., Sutton, C., Pertschuk, M. Tobacco Prevention and Control:
Targeting the African American Community, Kaiser Family Foundation, 1991.
Themba, M.N., and Robinson, R.G. Crossing Substances for Common Interest:
An Examination of the Movement Against Targeted Alcohol and Tobacco
Marketing and Its Implications for Public Health Coalitions, Center for Substance
Abuse Prevention, Rockville, MD, 1998.
American Lung Association, African Americans and Tobacco, factsheet;
http://www.lungusa.org/tobacco/african_factsheet99.html
Nixon, J. "Big Tobacco Hooked African Americans," press release issued by the
Attorney General's Office, State of Missouri; www.ago.state.mo.us/090600.htm,
September 6, 2000.
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Chapter 2
What We Can Do To Make a Difference
Time is neutral and does not change things. With
courage and initiative, leaders change things.
-- Rev. Jesse Jackson
N
ow that you are ready to take on these issues in your community, you will
need to organize a structure or team so that you can do the work
effectively together. An Ujima Village is our term for the collective work
and responsibility we undertake to rid our communities of tobacco problems. We
refer to our community teams as villages because of the importance of
democracy, organization and a division of labor in both the village setting and the
work we try to do in our communities. The village, the gathering place is part of
our rich tradition of getting things done well together. It is this tradition we draw
upon in invoking the name Ujima Village.
Building a Team
A good team is like good jazz. An effective collaboration weaves each partner's
solo into an ensemble that draws on each player's strengths while strengthening
any weaknesses. When collaboration breaks down, the "composition" descends
into competing solos or worse -- other players lay back and let one or two
partners carry the project. As difficult as it is to strike a balance, anyone starting
a collaborative project need not improvise. There are now years of documented
knowledge and practice to get any group on its way.
Whether you start with a visionary group or one charismatic individual whose
strength of conviction -- and values -- draws others to the table, you will need to
think about who else should join you in creating the Ujima Village. Take time to
identify the underlying values and risks in the effort. Key questions include: How
will the community be changed by the project? What new relationships could be
sparked? What will those who join us potentially gain and lose? What do we
really care about and value in this process? What do we need to accomplish?
Every initiating partner should discuss these issues openly in order to identify
common and competing needs.
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Listen. What do people in the community care about? Who are the people
other people listen to? Every Ujima Village should have systems for collecting
community input and feedback. Here are a few examples of community-focused
methods of "listening":
Surveys. Whether by phone, on-line or at the door, surveys are structured
ways of getting community input, identifying issues and prevalence of
problems or attitudes. One should take care not to develop long,
complicated survey instruments -- or instruments that only focus on a
community's problems. When done well, surveys enable groups to collect
standardized data on a wide variety of issues and, through contact,
encourage resident participation in the policy process.
Canvassing. Going door-to-door unannounced can be a good way to reach
new people who aren't on anyone's list; raise public awareness; and build
name recognition in a neighborhood. It is difficult to carry on an extensive
conversation under these conditions so input gathered will be limited.
Focus groups. One can gather solid, qualitative input from a small group -especially a group that has something in common or is in some way
demographically similar. Just listening to the exchange between
participants can be very enlightening and reveal more about the interests
and concerns in a community than a two dimensional survey. Of course,
information collected at focus groups are harder (though not impossible) to
quantify.
One-on-one interviews with key players. Listening is one of the most
important tools there is for building relationships. Listen actively with your
whole body facing the speaker. Ask questions and probe deeper. Mostly,
after offering a guiding question or two, just follow where the conversation
leads you. Suspend your expectations and your agenda for the time being.
Just listen to learn more about the other person and their concerns. Take
notes if you need to and if it's not too obtrusive.
Walkabout. Identify routes in a mix of neighborhoods you are interested in
working in. Each route should provide a mix of things to observe
(businesses, institutions, residential areas, etc.) and take no more than 60
minutes to walk. If much of the business district is abandoned, that’s worth
observing, too. It's best to conduct this method in a small group.
Encourage participants to take notes and to pay attention to both assets
and challenges and debrief the group's observations upon return.
You don't need to do all of these. Pick the strategy or set of strategies that work
best for you and are within your capacity. Once you've gathered the information,
identify potential new members and projects that are likely to engage community
interest. Make a list of people to follow up for recruitment. First recruits should
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be interested in helping you build the organization and identify others. Be sure to
keep people engaged by making space for their ideas, passions and interests.
People are the lifeblood of an Ujima Village -- don't take them for granted.
It Takes A Village
In a village, there is room for everyone to make a contribution and Ujima Villages
are no different. All contributions should be valued from the grassroots through
the leadership level. Engaging different kinds of people at different levels of
commitment is not easy. It requires that we build organizations that incorporate
systems and values that support inclusivity.
Engaging meetings. Are your meetings mostly a series of people giving reports
with little discussion? It’s time to break that mold. Try creative approaches like
asking questions instead of making statements. Develop alternative forms of
reporting information like chart paper summary with illustrations, a dialogue
between two people reporting from different perspectives, or begin by asking
people what they most want to know. After writing down their questions on chart
paper, report according to their questions. Other devices like skits, roleplays (to
practice for media events, for example) and small group work are also effective.
All over the world, organizers are using these popular education techniques to
reach people at every imaginable level of education and income. Many of these
techniques were pioneered in South Africa and in Brazil by and for African
people. Take time to read about popular education (see the Resources section)
and try the ideas that appeal to you.
Embrace criticism. If we want to increase democracy in our organizations, we
must also be open to critical discussion. We need to develop a framework that
welcomes constructive criticism but also manages confusion and dissension. It
can be a subtle difference but without an effort to develop some sort of guiding
principles for critical discussion within and between organizations, it is difficult to
move forward. Begin by making space at each meeting for critical feedback and
evaluation (we can use different words to describe the process, like "what worked
and what could have been better"). Develop ground rules for discussions and
abide by them, and incorporate common spirituality and values into the
organizational framework. This will help maintain the balance between criticism
and common purpose (Nia).
Establish simple systems for tracking and rewarding volunteers like sign in
sheets where those who sign in a certain number of times get certain kinds of
recognition. Elders, youth, people with disabilities and families with young
children should be included and planned for. The following is a capacity survey
for members to complete so you can see how best to utilize their energies. You
can give each member an individual sheet to complete or post these and other
capacities on chart paper at meetings to allow people to "sign up" as they mill
about. Feel free to adapt by adding capacities needed within the Village.
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Capacity Survey
Please let us know about the skills and talents you may be willing to share with the Ujima
Village
Name_____________________________ Phone_________________
email:_________________________
VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT
____ I have recruited volunteers and/or conducted training for them (say which one you've done
after your name)
____ I have and manage a database or list of volunteers
____ I have or work with a phone bank or other system to contact volunteers by phone:
____ I have or work on a system for rewarding/acknowledging volunteers:
COMPUTERS
____ I have access to a computer and have an e-mail address (name & e- mail address)
____ I have done good desktop publishing
____ I have designed and managed a website
____ I have conducted a computer-based mobilizing campaign
____ I have conducted research over the Internet
POLICY
____ I have called an elected official on a specific issue
____ I have helped draft legislation
____ I have testified at a public hearing
____ I have organized a community hearing on an issue
MEDIA ADVOCACY
____ I have held a successful press event
____ I have called a reporter
____ I have been interviewed by a reporter
____ I have written a letter to the editor or op-ed piece that was published
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FUNDRAISING
____ I have organized a successful fundraising dinner or other special event
____ I have written a proposal that got funded
____ I have run a successful direct appeal campaign (asked for money by mail or over the
phone)
____ I have run a successful membership/dues drive
COMMUNICATIONS
____ I have run a phone tree or fax tree
____ I have produced a newsletter
____ I have produced or worked on a video
____ I have developed on-line communication systems including listservs, websites, bulletin
boards, audio and/or video
LANGUAGES
____ I can speak another language other than English [Name and Language(s)]
____ I can write in another language other than English [Name and Language(s)]
____ I can translate documents from English to another language [(Name and Language(s)]
Holding a Meeting
With the internet, phones and other technology, meetings are certainly not the
only way to conduct business. However, meetings are still an important part of
building organizations and getting the work done.
Recruitment. Make sure you have good lists with individual contact names for
organizational listings. Updating lists is a great volunteer job. A simple script
and good directions can help volunteers make your old lists new again.
Important tips: contact at least four times as many names as people you would
like to attend and don't forget to call people and remind them of upcoming
meetings at least a week and a day away. This helps you meet your recruitment
goals.
Speaker's bureaus are a great way to organize presentations for recruitment at
other groups' meetings. Work with your speakers to make sure they are clear on
the issue and can effectively translate it to others. Using the list of organizations
you developed above, contact groups to schedule presentations. Make sure to
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supply speakers with fact sheets and sign up sheets so that you can follow up
with a phone call later.
Logistics. Identify a date that is relatively non-competitive with other important
local events. It's hard to schedule an event that does not compete with anything.
However, it is a wise investment to make a few well placed phone calls to ensure
your tentative date works for key players.
Choose a location that many people already like to go to and are familiar with,
has plenty of parking and is accessible by disabled and by available public
transportation. Make sure to mention any bus or train lines that serve the
location in all notices. Often times, schools, churches or community service
organizations are ideal, inexpensive locations. Note: when possible, rotate the
meeting to other good locations in order to make them accessible to other
neighborhoods. In addition, changing the venue also means changing the host –
a great opportunity to engage new partners or deepen the participation of
existing ones.
Confirm site arrangements a week in advance. Make sure chairs, tables,
microphones and p.a. system are all as you planned. Confirm how you will
access the site and who to contact at that time if there is a problem. Clarify your
obligations for clean up, closing, etc.
 Activity
Meetings That Welcome Others
Too often, our meetings are the same people talking, reporting and discussing
issues that we've been discussing at length, leaving newcomers no room to
contribute. Worse, some groups are even hostile to newcomers and display little
social skills in even greeting new arrivals. We must make room in our meetings
for people to talk about who they are and what interests them. We must be
creative. Divide our meetings into smaller groups. Encourage interaction. Give
folk paper and markers and let them write instead of you. Ask questions. Create
answers that are more than words; that are collective. Perhaps pictures.
Perhaps skits. Bring the spirit of Kuumba into the work and more work will get
done. See the Resources section for more ideas. Most of all, have fun!
Start your meeting with introductions and a welcoming ritual that fits your
collective values. Some groups start with prayer or a reflection to focus their
energies. Some groups even start with a song. Choose an opening that's right
for the group and rotate responsibility for conducting the ritual as well as chairing
the meeting among the membership.
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It's always good to do some form of introductions, set ground rules and have a
clear agenda for participants to review. Open the meeting up for agenda
suggestions and confirm the structure with the group. Now, you are ready to
take care of business!
A Word on Working with Youth
Increasingly, community organizations are looking for ways to engage young
people. Some groups limit youth involvement to photo opportunities and
"auxiliaries" where young people simply support adult-driven agendas. Other
groups have developed youth-led initiatives where young people identify
initiatives and organize youth and adults to support their policy initiatives
The best youth advocacy incorporates elements essential to any organizing
initiative, (i.e., democracy and respect) while paying attention to the special
requirements of youth work.
Working with youth requires tenacity and follow up that, more than adults,
includes getting to know their families. Youth involvement often requires a great
deal of support including arranging for rides to meetings, food and sometimes,
academic and family services. Remember, kids are part of families so be sure
to build relationships with the elders in the lives of youth volunteers. If possible,
provide salaries, stipends or other incentives for youth workers. If you don't
provide salaries, you only get the kids who can afford to work for free.
Making room for youth leadership. Like anyone else, young people want a say in
their organizations. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to engage youth in
organizations led by and designed for adults. Adults can get impatient with youth
input. Youth can get impatient with adult language and process. Even in the
best youth-adult collaborations, young people need "safe space" to determine
their own agenda and needs with the support of adults.
Learn aspects of youth culture. Dr. Thandi Hicks-Harper of Billo
Communications, an organization dedicated to engaging youth in prevention
activities, has conducted extensive focus group research with young people and
youth serving organizations. Her findings are that most organizations are
clueless about youth language, music and other aspects of youth popular culture.
"The best initiatives effectively incorporate aspects of youth culture. They use
their language and important cultural symbols. They have authentic and organic
leadership of the effort." More and more, according to Hicks-Harper, that culture
is grounded in hip hop. Hip hop music, dance, style of dress and visual arts have
become media of choice for a broad section of young people. Adult organizers
who dismiss hip hop as all negative and "noise" run the risk of losing kids. "It's
a matter of respect," says Hicks-Harper. "It's hard for kids to believe you have
their best interest at heart if you can't respect what they care about."
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Funding the Village
There are many good organizations that have folded due to lack of resources.
Therefore, Ujima Villages must learn to identify many forms of support -including money. Start locally with community foundations, businesses and local
givers that support good work where you live. A local fundraising plan starts by
identifying prospective givers within your own ranks and with whom members
have some relationship.
Make a list of potential givers and ask them for money. Have members
identify potential givers they know and ask them to commit to asking their
contacts for donations directly. You can support them by developing a set
of talking points that help them describe the project and make the "ask" in
an elegant but direct way. Help volunteers identify appropriate amounts to
ask for in advance.
Keep a "wish list" of non-monetary items. Remember that money isn't the
only resource worth raising. Equipment, office space, food for gatherings,
discounts for members, and advertising are among the in-kind donations
that can really help the group move forward.
Get down to business. Often, businesses require a simple solicitation letter
with a specific request that outlines any incentives (advertising, recognition,
etc.) that they may receive for their support. It's always good to solicit
donations from businesses with which you have a relationship (as a
customer, friend, etc.) and/or have a track record of community support.
Remember: don't take money from tobacco industry sources. It can
compromise your work and help increase the industry's credibility in the
community.
Make it an event. Fundraising can be made fun for donors by hosting
public events that allow supporters to celebrate victories and feel a part of
the Village. It's important to watch costs so that the group can earn a profit.
When possible, get food, drink, room and entertainment donated or covered
by an event sponsor. Try alternatives to big-ticket dinners like after work
receptions, picnics, auctions or self-improvement workshops. In most
cases, sales of goods from "professional" fundraising companies are not
worth the effort. For any project, weigh the goodwill, publicity and funding
potential against the amount of work required. If you have a good event, try
to repeat it annually in order to build a strong following.
Writing grants. With resources for tobacco control increasing, there may be
opportunities for mini grants and other government or foundation funding.
Be sure to read all the guidelines and make note of any deadlines to avoid
disqualification. A good proposal articulates an engaging vision of the
program, a clear plan with timeline for implementation, and a budget that
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matches the workplan and fits the needs of the funder. Do research at the
library or online to identify funders whose guidelines and mission match the
work of the Village. Find out whom they've funded and for how much so
that you are sure that your request is an appropriate one. Then make sure
to keep good fiscal records and reporting systems so that the group can get
additional money based on a good track record.
Remember, funders fund people as much as they fund programs so building
relationships is key. Make sure to include local funders on the group's mailing list
and send regular updates to all potential supporters in the form of a letter or a
small newsletter. Given the incredible quality now possible with desktop
publishing, a snazzy newsletter is within reach of anyone with a computer. Take
advantage of the technology and develop communication tools that augment
your fundraising efforts. If possible, enroll in the many low cost and even no cost
workshops on fundraising to help the group generate more ideas.
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Chapter 3
Identifying Tobacco Related Challenges and Opportunities
Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.
-- Jimi Hendrix
I
n Chapter 2, we discussed the importance of listening to community people in
order to build an organization that reflected the needs, dreams and
aspirations of its constituents. Moving ahead to action for tobacco control will
require a clear and accurate assessment of the particular ways in which tobacco
related problems manifest in the community as well as the assets available to
address these problems. This way, the plan that results from this work will
address the needs and build on the capacities of the community.
Moving Beyond Blaming Smokers
Too often in our communities, the people who undertake unhealthy behaviors are
blamed and demonized as the entire problem. Addictions and how they come to
be are complex issues. As we've explored in Chapter 1, there are larger
dynamics that shape our community's relationship to tobacco that affect those
who use tobacco and those who don't. In keeping with our Ujima Village
concept, we are concerned about the whole community and see tobacco users
as part of the Village, not outsiders or enemies. In fact, focusing only on those
who use tobacco without attention to external factors like how and where it's sold
would not be a comprehensive or even effective way to address tobacco control.
 Think About This
Tobacco Promotions and Marketing to African American Communities
Targeting of African Americans by tobacco companies represented one of the
earliest attempts to utilize race and identity as a marketing theme. Ads for
tobacco products appeared in Ebony magazine and other traditional African
American publications like the New York-based Amsterdam News since the
1940s. Ads promoting tobacco in movie trailers and store displays as early as
the 1930s featured prominent black musicians like Duke Ellington.
With the freedom movement of the 1960s, targeted advertising (particularly
advertising that featured African Americans in responsible, prominent roles)
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increased dramatically. For example, cigarette ads in Ebony increased 300%
from 1950-1965. Life magazine had only a 100% increase over the same period.
(Pollay, et.al., 1992) Ads for Kool, and other tobacco brands targeting middle
class Blacks featured well dressed African American professionals in luxurious
settings.
Ads for mentholated cigarettes and malt liquor appearing in Jet, Ebony and on
Black radio from 1965-1975 increasingly featured dark skinned women and men
wearing natural hair, and utilized slang terms like "groovy," "baby" and "soul."
(Themba, Robinson 1998). These companies further solidified the relationship
by hiring African American ad experts to develop these advertising themes
(Robinson, Sutton, et.al., 1992).
Clearly, given the preference for mentholated cigarettes in African American
communities, the advertising has had an impact. More recently, Camel designed
a "hip-hop" Joe Camel campaign in introducing its new menthol cigarettes. The
campaign targeted young black males, and during the time of the campaign the
rate of young black smokers in the 10th grade rose 92 percent and among 8th
graders it more than doubled.
Of course, we don't have to simply let the industry target us without a fight.
Through increasing media literacy and critically evaluating messages, we can
"immunize" ourselves and young people from the industry's messages as well as
create counter messages with our health and well being in mind.
 Activity
Collect tobacco ads by clipping magazines or taking photographs of display ads
to critique. As a group, identify the marketing themes (i.e., what are they
"offering"? Power? Sex appeal?). Look at the social order and relationships in
the ads. How are the women placed in relationship to the men? How is sex
appeal used to sell the product? What kind of language? Slang?
Now, contrast the images in the ads with the real life implications of tobacco use.
Have some fun and create counter messages that use some of the same themes
and images but are reconstructed to tell the truth. What messages will best
reach your audience?
Any behavior or activity operates within a context or an environment that shapes
it. Assessing environmental factors in a community means shifting the focus
from individual problems to the context in which these problems take place. This
shift is important because environmental factors can play a major role in
proliferation and prevention of problems in a community. This shift from an
individual to an environmental perspective is much like shifting a camera lens
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away from a simple portrait of users in order to capture the "big picture" or
landscape that surrounds them and affects their use. There are different levels
and dimensions of a community landscape that can be loosely categorized in two
ways: risk and protective factors. Risk factors are those policies, issues,
norms, problems, needs, deficiencies, etc. that are barriers to healthy
communities. Protective factors are those norms, institutions, policies, etc. that
support and enhance community health and development. All communities have
both. Some factors will fit under both categories.
 Activity
Assessing Risk and Protective Factors
Divide up the work among the group to examine life in your community. Even if
you've lived there all your life, such an assessment will still yield some surprises.
Young people are great investigators. Have them work with adults as well as
other young people to look at the factors that affect them. To organize your
information gathering process, develop checklists of local factors to investigate
drawn from those below.
Physical or land use factors. Buildings, roads, open space, institutions,
businesses or lack of them are all a part of the physical infrastructure that forms
the foundation of a community.
Availability of goods and services. What we eat, wear and read is largely
determined by what's available to us. Goods and services is more than what we
can buy, it includes public services like schools, hospitals, water and recreational
facilities. When looking at goods and services, it is important to also assess how
accessible these services are to residents. For example, if a nearby recreation
center has no wheelchair ramp or is not kept clean or safe, it will not be useful to
neighbors who require any of these to use their services.
Institutional factors. What is the impact of institutional behavior on the
community? Public agencies can treat residents like constituents and
stakeholders, or the "mob at the gates." It's important to understand the impact
of private and public institutions on the community and if they are good citizens.
Human factors. Who lives here? What organizations do they belong to? Is
there a history of concern for community well being? What health indicators are
there? What is the quality of family life? These are "portrait" questions that help
to paint a clearer picture of which you are working with. Human factors explain
what is going on for community members, the other factors help to explain why.
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Identifying risk and protective factors are important but equally critical is knowing
which factors are most important to address. As stated above, collecting data
and conducting research are important tools that can help. Another equally
important way to gather information is to listen to people in the community. Use
the tools outlined in Chapter 2 to develop systems for gathering community input
and use the priorities that emerge to identify which issues are most important to
address. Remember: a plan of action does not have to be based solely on
addressing community problems. It can also focus on augmenting community
strengths or assets.
Sociologist John McKnight and colleagues at Northwestern University pioneered
a method of community mapping that enables neighborhoods to chart their
assets and develop strategies for addressing issues based on their strengths.
Used primarily in public health and community development efforts, asset
mapping is a valuable tool for any group seeking to organize around any issue.
The process (see Resources section for details) includes detailed surveys of both
institutions and individuals; building networks that help leverage both individual
and institutional assets; and a number of case studies and project ideas for
implementing such a process.
Asset mapping, among other resources, can be helpful in structuring a more
positive approach to planning. Some of the best ideas address a community's
vision of what they'd like to become instead of focusing on community problems
or deficits. Usually, when a community works from a place of vision, they
manage to address a number of problems, too. One example is found in the
growing number of local policies to increase the amount of green space -unpaved natural areas for recreation and rest. Although these policies are a
result of the residents' vision of their community as a beautiful place to live,
increasing the number of parks in the community helps to address issues of
blight, youth development and negative land uses.
Examining the Tobacco Environment
The 4 "P"s of marketing -- product, promotion, place and price -- represent the
four types of strategies used by tobacco product marketers to target our
communities. The industry uses a wide range of demographic variables to divide
the population, including age, race and ethnicity, marital status, socio-economic
status, gender and geographic region. These variables are used together as a
marketing campaign's effectiveness depends on how well they interact with each
other. For these reasons, advocates must assess how these variables are at
play in their communities and construct specific strategies to address them.
Place is simply where the product is available; who has access to it and what
kind of communities are "chosen" to carry particular products. For example, are
bidis (clove cigarettes) mainly available near college campuses? Do all
pharmacies sell cigarettes or only certain locations? An important part of
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assessing "place" factors is what other kinds of activities take place where the
product is accessible. Are there schools, treatment centers, hospitals, etc.
nearby?
Studies show that regulating price is one of the most effective ways of curbing
use - particularly among youth. In fact raising the price of tobacco in particular
results in a drop in use across the board - from heavy users to users with more
moderate consumption patterns. Many states have raised tobacco excise taxes
as a way to affect product price as well as to fund public health initiatives. Some
areas have banned cigarette giveaways.
Product factors address how a product is packaged, the serving size, etc. One
example is the targeted promotion of mentholated cigarettes to African
Americans.
Promotion focuses on how the product is advertised and how this advertising
can create an environment helps induce others to use the product. Promotion is
not limited to classic advertising channels like media and billboards. It also
includes paid placement of tobacco products in movies or videos and marketing
in stores or "point of sale". Of course, with the tobacco settlement agreement,
many of these practices have been reduced or modified but they still form an
important part of the tobacco environment.
References
J. P. Kretzmann, and J. L. McKnight. Building Communities From the Inside Out:
A Path Toward Mobilizing A Community's Assets. ACTA Publications, Chicago,
1993, (800) 397-2282.
Pollay, R.W., Lee, J.S., Carter-Whitney, D.: "Separate but not Equal: Racial
Segmentation in Cigarette Advertising," Journal of Advertising, 21:1, March,
1992.
Robinson, R.G., Sutton, C., Pertschuk, M. Tobacco Prevention and Control:
Targeting the African American Community, Kaiser Family Foundation, 1991.
Themba, M.N., and Robinson, R.G. Crossing Substances for Common Interest:
An Examination of the Movement Against Targeted Alcohol and Tobacco
Marketing and Its Implications for Public Health Coalitions, Center for Substance
Abuse Prevention, Rockville, MD, 1998.
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Chapter 4
Choosing an Issue
Strategy is better than strength
-- Hausa Legend
Now that you've examined the dimensions of tobacco problems and community
capacity to make change, your Village is ready to do something concrete to make
a difference. This concrete plan for change is called an initiative. An initiative
can have as its goal changes in formal or informal policy, public education or the
establishment of a school based curriculum. Whatever you choose, pay attention
to the target or community you are focusing on for change because it will
essentially be where you are placing responsibility for making the change. For
example, if an initiative simply focuses on teaching young people to stay away
from tobacco, you are placing primary responsibility on young people to address
tobacco problems without attention to making changes in the tobacco
environment in which they live.
The best way to choose an initiative is from criteria developed by group
consensus that takes into account group and/or community values and interests,
i.e., what’s important. Common criteria for a good issue include:








It will make a positive difference in our community
It's local, immediate and specific
We'll be in a better position for the next campaign
We can win
It's clear and easy to understand
It has a clear target
It can help us raise money, volunteers and/or other resources
It's consistent with our overall vision and goals
Real vs. Ideal Interests. As organizer Greg Akili often says, interests are usually
divided into two categories: real interests and ideal interests. Ideal interests are
usually articulated in lofty vision statements like, "a great future for all children."
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Real interests are those issues with a clear, concrete impact on our daily lives.
They are the company bottomline, our property values, our own children or jobs
to name a few. Advocates often focus on ideal interests and pay little attention to
real interests when choosing issues and framing their initiatives. How often do
progressive, pro-health groups justify their issue by saying, "It's the right thing to
do?" How often does the opposition say, "It costs money and jobs"? A good
issue provides your group with opportunities to encourage community visioning
and hope but is grounded in the real interests and concerns of people where they
"are."
Other considerations in developing criteria. All advocacy must operate within the
framework of your organization's purpose and long range goals. It's important to
compare your organization's goals with the goal for your issue. In your
assessment you should ask yourself: what constitutes victory? How will this
effort address the problem/have an impact on the quality of life of your
clients/members and/or community?
Another important consideration is your organizational health and survival. Can
you win? Or perhaps more importantly, can your organization afford to lose?
Advocacy campaigns can strengthen organizations by building a sense of team
spirit, expanding the leadership base, deepening the leadership's level of
experience and expanding an organization's membership and contact base. Of
course, your organization must bring something to the campaign in the first place
(i.e., membership, staff, money, reputation, facilities, press contacts, allies, etc.).
Make a careful assessment of your assets as well as any liabilities you bring to
the effort.
 Think About This:
Characteristics of Good Policy
Build community capacity. Effective policy leaves the community improved and
with more involved community members than before. The experience of
advocating for the policy, when done well, expands the base of leadership.
Pay for itself. Advocates must develop creative ways to fund new policies. One
way is a user fee - where the licensee or the storeowner or whoever is using the
service or selling the product, must pay a fee for the privilege of using that
service or product. Examples: local permit fees for tobacco outlets, or
conditional use permit fees for certain environmental land uses. A handy formula
for calculating fees is to divide the cost of regulating the activity or enforcement
by the number of projected "users."
Another way is to require the diversion of funds (either public funding set asides,
special levies or other means) to support policy implementation. Some agencies
develop economic development plans within their policy initiatives with an eye
toward self-sufficiency in the long term.
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Solves real problems. When developing a policy, ask: how does this solve the
problem? Your answer should be clear, concise, and to the point. One rule of
thumb is if the policy's impact cannot be summed up in 25 words or less, it's not
clear enough.
Contributes to a sense of community. How do we develop regulations? Closed
administrative hearings for politicians or open community hearings with those
same standards administered by neighborhood people in their own
neighborhood? Which is easier? But which will bring more people together, give
them a sense of their own power and build a new cadre of skilled leadership?
Which one builds bureaucracy? Which one builds capacity?
Lays the foundation for more good policy. Look to the future. Policy should be
incremental but it should take you closer to your ultimate goals. The policy you
develop today should open the door, set the stage for further progress tomorrow.
What will you gain from this initiative? How will it bring you closer to your
ultimate goals? Again, key to undergoing this assessment is knowing what those
goals are.
Brings us closer to our ideal world. We have to reflect upon; revisit that idealistic
place, that place where we dream and see the best in things. We must make
sure that whatever we do will, in the long run, help make that dream a reality.
Distilling an issue into an policy initiative
Once you've identified the issue, you must refine or cut that issue into an
initiative. An initiative is a planned set of activities, with clear goals and
objectives that a group will undertake to address some part of the issue. An
initiative has three main parts: a goal, a target, and an action plan for reaching
the goal. No initiative can address an entire issue, but it should be well-defined,
doable, and have a clear impact on that issue. The goal should be easily
understood and should meet as much of a group's criteria as possible. A good
goal requires cutting or shaping the issue into effective, doable action that
engages community interest and support.
Identifying a Target
All goals must include a target or decisionmaking body with the power to enact
the action sought. For example, when developing an initiative, the group must
identify the best decisionmaking body to make this happen. City council
ordinance? Company policy? State law? Each potential decisionmaking body
or target will mean different organizing strategies. Identifying the target is central
to initiative planning because it focuses work on organizing the necessary power
to move the target to action.
After the target is identified, extensive research must be done to identify each
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party’s interests. This requires reviewing public reports, contribution lists,
newsclippings and personal interviews to develop this information. Some
advocates rely heavily on the Internet for this research.
A thorough analysis can lead a group to change their target. Oftentimes, this
shift is from a company whom a group may have little power over, to a regulatory
agency where there is a higher degree of accountability. In the case of
advertising regulation, for example, it was often easier to get state and local
government to act than to pressure the industry.
Key Questions in Choosing A Target
 Who/what institutions has/have the power to solve the problem and grant your
demands? Identify which is the most important target for achieving your
policy goal.
 Who must you get to first before those above?
 What are the strengths and weaknesses of each potential target?
 Which targets are appointed? Elected?
 How do you have power/influence with them (as voters, consumers,
taxpayers, investors, shaming, etc.)?
 What is their self-interest?
 Who would have jurisdiction if you redefined the issue (e.g., turned a tobacco
advertising issue into a fair business practices issue)? Does this help you?
Don't confuse target and allies you need in order to win. Primary targets are
always the individuals or decisionmaking body that ultimately have the power to
grant group goals. There are lots of folk to work with and convince along the
way, but they are not targets. Once the group has identified the goal and target,
they are ready to develop an action plan or set of objectives and timeline to make
it happen.
Assigning primary responsibility. The target and the goal of the initiative say
everything about how your group is defining the problem -- and who's responsible
for solving it. Policies to regulate youth access to tobacco that fine or arrest
youth for possession focus on youth use as the problem. Policies that fine or
revoke the licenses of merchants focus on who profits from minor sales. As
discussed in Chapter 3, the key is to develop policies that balance institutional
and individual accountability and go beyond education and punishment. The
best policies address the social and economic context of the problem by shifting
resources in ways that build greater agency and power at the community level.
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Sample Tobacco Control Policy Options at the Local Level
Option
Target
Merchant responsibility laws that
establish fines for tobacco sales
misconduct
City or county government
Voluntary codes of conduct for
merchants
Individual merchants or merchant
associations
Clean Indoor Air
Either local government to have the
force of law or negotiate with
individual businesses or business
associations
Reducing youth access through
placement regulation
Local governments can ban certain
forms of displays, mandate that
tobacco products be kept in a locked
cabinet, etc.; ban single sale of blunts
Increase cessation resources
County, state governments to require
that cessation be covered by publicly
funded health insurance; negotiate
directly with health care providers to
expand services and make services
available to uninsured for low or no
cost; work directly with physicians on
training to encourage patients to quit
Raise prices and get more
resources for tobacco control
Negotiate with health departments to
ensure settlement dollars are reaching
Black communities; support efforts to
raise excise taxes to fund tobacco
control and other health needs
Reduce advertising
Have local governments mandate
convenience stores to keep a
minimum portion of window space
clear of ads or posting;
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A Word on preemption
Local jurisdictions, cities and county governments, have certain powers that are
usually out of the reach of state and federal lawmakers. Zoning, land use and
planning are among the tools of local governance that have recently come under
attack by the tobacco industry. The technical term is preemption. It is the
enactment of a state or federal law with the intent of preempting, or making
invalid, a local one. Make sure that any policy you develop does not create
conditions for preempting local control over an issue and be vigilant that the
tobacco industry isn't working to preempt your good local work with laws at the
state or federal level. One great resource for information on preemption is
Americans for Non-Smokers Rights (www.no-smoke.org).
Plan for Opposition
Advocacy is controversial. After all, we wouldn't have to organize, plan and
strategize if everyone agreed that our initiative was the perfect thing to do. And
chances are, the initiative wouldn’t have much of an impact if no one took issue
with it. That is why savvy advocates understand and prepare for opposition. Of
course, it’s better not to have any opposition but it’s far worse to be unprepared
for any that may arise.
Think strategically about your initiative. Are there interests that may be adversely
affected? Will the initiative cost money? Raise fees or taxes? Increase
regulation? Any of these can generate opposition to your initiative. The best
plan is to do your homework, understand in detail the impact of your initiative,
and be ready to justify it to the decision makers you are targeting.
Usually, the target decisionmaking body is more receptive to industry interests
than those of local, community-based groups. Part of the reason is that
industries employ lobbyists and government relations staff who nurture
relationships with officials as their full-time job. Another important reason is that,
for elected officials especially, electoral campaigns require lots of money.
Industry contributions are an important source of funds and officials are keenly
aware of this fact.
Community groups still have power -- even if they don’t have money to throw
around. They have people power, which with enough of it, will beat money
power most every time. However, a coalition must be prepared to show its
power if it is to mean anything. In organizing, this is called backing up your
demand.
Why Demand and Not Request? Advocacy requires conviction and strength but
a demand need not be rude or inflexible. It is simply a statement of what your
group wants and what it will settle for (usually called the back up demand). Of
course, negotiation requires a focus on conditions, goals and impact -- not any
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rigid, pre-determined outcome. However, if your group has spent time
researching the issue, listening to community concerns and developing an
initiative based on constituent needs, then there is a responsibility to advocate for
outcomes that are consistent with group values and consensus.
The Accountability Session
The first step in making the demand is holding an accountability session or
meeting with your target (or a representative or portion of the group) to make
clear your demand and to assess the target’s level of support. Ideally, the group
would work to get a commitment of support at the meeting.
Accountability sessions can range in tone and setting from a friendly, small
meeting at the target’s office to a large community hearing where the target is put
“on the spot.” The setting and tone will be shaped by the group’s history with the
target and how the session supports their overall strategy.
 Tips for Accountability Sessions
Although there are no hard and fast rules for holding an accountability session
experienced advocates recommend the following:
Never make idle threats.
Always represent the group ethically and professionally regardless how “tough”
the session gets.
Never meet with the target alone. Negotiations are tricky and always require at
least one witness. Having others in the meeting also sends the message that
this is a group action (not an individual one) and that you are accountable to the
group for any session outcomes.
 Tips for Conducting a Power Analysis
Once the initiative has been identified, groups will conduct what is known as a
power analysis to identify targets, allies, opponents and other important factors
in the campaign. Often, the initiative is refined further in light of this information.
For example, a regulation might omit smaller operators that might be
overburdened in order to split the opposition.
Begin by considering who/what institution has/have the power to solve the
problem and grant your demands? When possible, list specific names. Identify
which is the most important target for achieving your policy goal.
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 Who must you get to first before those listed above? Be specific.
 Identify strengths and weaknesses of each target.
 Identify your power with each target.
Informed by the power analysis and strategic planning, the organizing begins. In
city or countywide campaigns without a neighborhood focus, organizing is usually
done through outreach to other organizations. Neighborhood oriented campaigns
tend to conduct more canvassing or door-to-door operations in order to build a
solid base of support among those most affected by the issue. It is during this
stage that media work also begins in earnest.
In the Belly of "The Beast"
At some point in every initiative, advocates must meet with policymakers and
begin the long process of getting the policy enacted. This stage is characterized
by intensive work with city or county staff, negotiations and accountability
sessions. It is important to stay focused on the group's initial goals during this
phase as it is easy to get caught up in the politics of the bureaucracy. Working
with policymakers is an "inside" game but it need not mean getting disconnected
from grassroots support. Always go in groups and rotate the people who attend
the meetings so that you build leadership and confidence."
If an initiative is lucky enough to get enacted, celebration and evaluation is
definitely in order. However, for most ordinances, soon after the partying is over,
the litigation begins. Prepare for the possibility of litigation at the beginning of the
initiative and be ready to play an active role in any legal action even if the local
government (and not your group) is the defendant.
Enforcement. After the policy is enacted and clear of court hurdles, the work
begins to get the new law enforced. For initiatives with powerful opposition,
negotiation continues around issues like the timeline for implementing the policy,
interpretation of particular clauses, and fitting the new policy in with other staffing
priorities. It is important to maintain grassroots involvement throughout this
process. In the next chapter, we'll explore tools for organizing communities.
References
K. Bobo, J. Kendall, and S. Max. Organizing for Social Change: A Manual for
Activists in the 1990s. Seven Locks Press, Arlington, VA 22210, 1990 (800) 3545348.
Themba, Makani. Making Policy Making Change: How Communities Are Taking
Law Into Their Own Hands. Chardon Press, 1999.
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5
Organizing Our Communities
If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who
profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are
men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They
want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the
ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This
struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or
it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle.
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
-- Frederick Douglass
Identifying Support
O
nce an initiative is developed, it's time to identify who is likely to support it.
Rarely can one group get an initiative enacted working alone so building
broad support is critical to success. Oftentimes, building support requires
building a coalition or group of organizations that come together temporarily for a
specific reason. Coalitions are meant to be short term and are usually developed
with a specific target in mind.
When assessing whether to put together a coalition, groups must identify what
kind of support is needed to win, who is most likely to support the initiative, and
who can influence the target.
To determine the amount of support needed to win, advocates usually start with
how the target will make its decision. How many votes (if applicable) are needed
to win? Who will review and approve the decision? Who will make
recommendations concerning the decision? After a careful review of the
decisionmaking process (and any relevant deadlines), identify appropriate levels
of support (i.e., minimum number of letters generated, attendance at public
hearings, phone calls, etc.) for each step of the process.
Identifying likely supporters requires some knowledge of the community as well
as an analysis of each potential partner's interests. It is important to start with a
detailed and specific list of prospective allies. Do not, for example, list the faith
community as one ally because they are generally concerned about the
community's welfare. Faith institutions are often busy and overwhelmed with
activities like other organizations. Identify specific groups and institutions and
why they might get involved.
A likely supporter has strong self interest and deep concern about the issue
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your group is trying to address. They will also have low risk in joining you.
Remember, it is often "leaders" who have little self interest and high risk (i.e.,
more to lose) in joining advocacy initiatives. Try to identify grassroots and other
organizations with strong ties to the issue. Allies need not be formal
organizations. For example, a group focused on passing a clean indoor air
ordinance might identify an ally in parents of children with asthma.
Building a Base
It is not enough to have a good idea or a good issue if it only has the support of a
few people. An organization must have a base of people that can be counted on
to achieve its goals. Too often, not enough care is taken to develop a broad
base of support for policy initiatives. Remember, no one is obligated to
participate or work on an issue. Always ask, What are we offering?
 Appreciating the Total
Too often, we complain because there are not more people involved. We miss
critical levels of support because we only count the people who come to the
regular meeting. Groups often have at least three levels of support.
Core supporters (usually about 5-7) key volunteers that can always be counted
on.
Active supporters (usually 20-25 people) will support most of the activities and
will attend some meetings.
General supporters (usually 50-70 people) will do one thing, one time and rarely
come to meetings.
The general public.
The key is getting each level of support to move closer to the core by asking
more from people at each level and showing appreciation for the core and for
supporters at each "outer" level. This is the essence of recruiting and retaining
volunteers.
Recruiting volunteers is like working in a great sifter -- the more you shake a
sifter, the more its contents falls through the cracks. Building big numbers of
volunteers requires talking to lots more people than you need -- and making it
very easy (not too many shakes!) for them to make a contribution. If it's too
difficult to get involved (i.e., they have to call and get the meeting place, there’s
no child care available, they have to make up a script to help you call volunteers,
etc.) they will probably "fall through the cracks."
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Some common recruitment equations
In order to get 50 people to show up when the issue is not hot, 150-200 names
are needed.
If the names are "cold" and people are not familiar with the group or issue, more
names will be needed.
Thirty percent or more of the people called will not be at home; 15-20 percent of
the numbers will not be good numbers; 25-30 percent will be no's; 25-30 percent
will say yes. Of those who say yes, only a small percent will actually show.
Using a "warm" list, out of the 20 people contacted, nine will say yes and three to
four will show.
 Methods for Mobilizing
House meetings. These gatherings are often hosted by volunteers in order to
organize a local area. The host will invite friends and neighbors to refreshments
and a presentation on the issue by someone in coalition leadership.
Phone bank recruitment. Volunteers and/or staff calling phone lists to recruit new
volunteers.
Canvassing. Staff and/or volunteers going door-to-door to raise public
awareness of the initiative and recruit supporters.
There are certainly many more ways to get the word out but there's nothing like
direct contact (either by phone or in person) to get people into action. Other
important things to remember:
Every 3-4 months there will be a need to rebuild a coalition or organization with a
new group of people. People will either move on to another level, get involved in
something else, or become inactive. Develop ways to assist people to move to a
deeper level of involvement. Core supporters need to work with new people;
conduct orientation, plan parties for new supporters and rotate leadership so they
have opportunities for rest.
It is important to develop recruitment systems including scripts to prompt
volunteers, and mechanisms for tracking, follow-up and accountability.
Recruit to Action Not Meetings. Everyone's time is precious. Make sure that you
emphasize what your group will do when you get together, what you hope to
accomplish and how they can contribute.
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Effective Personal Presentation. Remember that when recruiting, appearances
count! There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to presenting yourself but
a little common sense can go a long way. When making presentations in an
institution of faith or at a picnic, make sure to dress and speak appropriately.
Be Prepared/Know Who You are Talking With. There's nothing more annoying to
a potential volunteer when someone calls on them who knows little about their
work in a community. Avoid the mistake that one zealous recruiter made: She
spent an hour explaining to her potential recruit about the harms of tobacco and
why it was an important issue in their community. She had no idea that the
person with whom she was speaking was an expert in internal medicine who
belonged to the national board of a cancer prevention organization. Knowing
who you are talking with can help avoid these kinds of mistakes and give you
ideas for "openings" that can make potential recruits more receptive to your
approach.
Establish Your Credibility. People get lots of requests for their time. It's
important that you let them know a little about your skills, experience and what
your group has accomplished. Organizing is mostly about building relationships.
What experiences, friends, affiliations do you share that can help build a bridge
between you? Getting involved can be risky -- especially for someone with
significant "standing" in a community. What credibility do you offer that can help
allay any concerns?
Listen Actively. Coalitions should reflect the common needs and interests of all
participants, but how can you know what they are if you've never asked? When
recruiting, probe and listen carefully for relevant self interests, concerns,
passions that motivate the person. When you listen at this stage, it sends the
message that they will be "heard" throughout the process.
Challenge People to Act in Their Interest. You've been listening and engaging in
a fruitful dialogue about their issues and concerns, now you must ask them if
they are ready to do something about them. A challenge need not be impolite. A
simple, "Mrs. Smith, I see you are very concerned about the local convenience
store. Our coalition could sure use your help in getting them to change. We
have this ordinance we are trying to get passed that has really worked to control
these kinds of problems in other cities. We think it could work here. But we need
your help..." Remember, try to match your request to the skills and availability of
the recruit. Always have some specific volunteer options in mind -- and not just
going to meetings!
Commitment. Always ask the person directly for a commitment -- and wait for the
answer. Yes, is great but a "no" is better than a "maybe" which more often
means, "No, but I just don't want to tell you to your face." A common recruitment
phrase is "May I count on you to...?"
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Follow Up! Follow Up! Follow Up! Even when people make a commitment, they
still need reminders. Stay in touch with volunteers by providing them with
updates, reminder calls (three for each meeting is typical), and lots of gratitude
and recognition for every contribution they make. Having food at every meeting
doesn't hurt either.
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6
Using the Media
Whoever controls the flow of information dictates our perceptions
and perspectives; whoever controls the news shapes our
destiny.
- George Clinton
C
ommunicating effectively is critical to the success of any Ujima Village. It
is the media through which we reach others, convince people to support
our initiatives, and publicly raise the issues we are fighting to address.
There are many ways to communicate. Any effective communication strategy
takes into account personal or direct communication, social marketing and media
advocacy.
Communication Method
Examples of Tools
Personal or direct communications
include direct mail, phone calling, word of
mouth working through people who are
influential in a circle of others and whose
opinions mean a great deal.
meetings, phone and door-to-door
canvassing, speakers bureau,
mailings by post or e-mail
Social marketing is applying the
conventions of advertising and/or marketing
to communicate a message. The message
in this case is usually information to
influence individual behavior.
Paid advertising, Public Service
Announcements (PSAs), brochures
Media Advocacy is simply using the news
to influence public opinion and affect the
terms of debate on any issue. News confers
legitimacy, sets the public agenda and is the
"official story." Policy initiatives usually
focus on media advocacy much of the time.
Press releases, media events,
reporter cultivation, piggybacking on
related news stories by tying your
issue to breaking news. Example:
calling to talk to reporters about a
school policy when the school is
under fire for drug problems.
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For African American communities that don't always fit the media's primary
market demographic, media access is a special challenge. Routine media
advocacy approaches (i.e., cultivating and leveraging press relationships) aren't
always effective. The lack of racial diversity in most newsrooms and the
difficulties that people in low income communities face in developing
relationships with journalists are among the barriers to media access that
advocates in our communities must overcome.
The rise of market oriented (or sales driven) reporting has resulted in more focus
on affluent suburbs and less on communities with less buying power. For
communities of color—particularly those with significant numbers of poor
people—this means even less of an opportunity to tell stories that affect their
communities.
Given these barriers, advocates have to develop creative access strategies.
Press events that mobilize community support and draw out more controversial
elements of issues are highly effective in attracting media. One early strategy in
the effort to regulate tobacco billboards involved painting the billboards over
(called blackwashing or whitewashing) at highly publicized gatherings. Reporters
came out to cover these colorful acts of civil disobedience—especially if they
thought they could catch an arrest on film. But in providing context for these
dramatic events, activists focused attention on the cynical efforts of tobacco firms
to target communities of color, and the health costs and social inequities of these
practices.
Advocates in communities of color also gain media access by pursuing a wide
range of media—much of it outside of mainstream press. Many Black
newspapers will run "camera ready" news stories for insertion and publication.
Newsletters from organizations and faith communities are also an important
resource.
Another important source for coverage has been "alternative" media—weekly
local newspapers, radio and cable programming that are committed to covering
social issues. And don't forget the wide variety of publications on the Internet!
Search using keywords like African Americans and tobacco, health, etc. and
locate websites that might post your news.
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Common Myths in Health Communications
Myth 1: Most people don’t know nearly as much as we do.
Effective communication begins with a clear understanding of how much the
people we are talking to know the issues and the many non-traditional ways in
which they know them. An effective message speaks to people in their own
idiom, their most familiar/even intimate way of speaking. It requires a healthy
respect and understanding of the incredible experience our “audience” brings to
bear on the issues on which we work.
Myth 2: We must communicate more information on "the problem." The more
they see how bad it is, the more likely they are to act.
People are rarely shocked into action. Most of us are fairly jaded by now and
have already assumed the worst. So it’s no surprise that the media effects
research confirms that it's practical information on what we can do about an issue
versus the severity of a problem that moves us. Not that we don't need to
communicate that our issue is a serious one -- we do. We've just got to make
sure we don't leave it at that. Besides, oftentimes our audience already knows
that the problem is serious before we begin.
Effective Messages
Good messages are affective -- they touch us emotionally and effective -- they
convey what we need to and connect with shared dreams and beliefs. They
surface, what James Scott called in his seminal book Domination and the Arts of
Resistance, the hidden transcript. This hidden transcript constitutes the private
conversations most of us have about the injustice, the unfairness of those in
power; about the "right thing" we ought to do but is too difficult to undertake on
our own; and even that which we fear.
People are more willing to act in circumstances where there has been fear or
reticence previously when that hidden transcript is unearthed or, in other words,
they can see they are not alone in their belief or understanding. It is like
someone saying out loud what you were thinking all along and validating those
thoughts. Of course, this requires a message to be grounded in the language
and idiom and even the dreams of our target audience.
So, how do we begin? With a survey of the terrain.
Identify existing beliefs, opinions, etc., in African American communities about
tobacco control. Identify those that are helpful to our work and those that are
harmful. For example, one belief is that smokers have a choice. How does that
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help or harm our work? It's common sense that you would first consider your
overall goals before you define one for media work. This requires strategic
planning and preparation. Every media plan should answer at least four
questions:
What is your goal? Goals can be long-term or short-term. First start with your
initiative goal then take into account other organizational considerations (i.e.,
positioning within the community, relationships with media, etc.). In the case of
any advocacy campaign, both long term and short term goals must be
considered.
Who is your target audience? Oftentimes, advocates tend to think of broadbased community education campaigns that target those afflicted with health
problems we are trying to prevent or reduce. In media advocacy, since the
ultimate goal is changing policy, the target audience is often policy makers, those
in whose hands the policy decision we wish to influence lies. Another audience
frequently targeted by media advocacy are those who shape or influence public
opinion. Sometimes the audience for media advocacy is the voting public, active
or potentially active citizenry, or that segment of the public that we are trying to
organize to support our policy initiative.
Each target will have its preferred media outlets. Elected officials tend to pay
close attention to the editorial pages and letters to the editor. Most young people
prefer radio. Think carefully about appropriate media outlets when considering
media outreach strategies. Requesting advertising and promotional materials
from your local media outlets is a great way to find out who these outlets claim to
be reaching.
What is your message? Unlike in advertising or social marketing, "messages" in
media advocacy cannot sound planned. Media bites are advocates' traditional
form for delivering the message. These seven to fifteen second comments
summarize and illustrate the story the way you want it told. Smart advocates use
humor, literary devices or an appeal to the emotions to make an impact on the
audience. One device, social math, helps to frame facts and figures in a more
compelling way. One classic example: the nationwide death toll from tobacco is
equivalent to three full jumbo jets crashing each day.
Evaluation: How will you measure success? You don't need a complicated
research design. Evaluation is simply asking, "Did we do what we said we'd do?"
These measures are determined by a group's goals in both the long term and
short term. Additionally, other positive (and negative) results of the effort should
be examined.
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Media as Partners
Although there are sometimes barriers to good coverage, advocates can still
operate as partners with media outlets. Build relationships with local television
and radio community affairs staff to negotiate free and discounted air time.
Messages can take the form of public service announcements where there is
little control over the time of day they are aired, or hefty discounts can be
negotiated in exchange for buying a small number of ads. Remember, even if the
airtime is free, if you don't have the capacity to produce a good "spot" you might
be better off negotiating with the station to produce the spot for you -- or soliciting
other forms of support (e.g., sponsorship, bus signs, billboards, etc.). Note:
don’t forget about Internet media. These outlets can provide wide reach as well.
When working with media outlets as partners, take time to research their various
formats, audience and reach. Be prepared to discuss how the partnership will
benefit them and fits with current community interests. For example, if a station
or newspaper is already doing a project for children, explain how partnering with
your project can augment their current initiative.
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 Important Media Tips to Remember
Keep an updated media list with names. You can start with the many published
media lists available through bookstores or nonprofit associations. However,
calls must be made to outlets that are important to your efforts to get the names
of key contacts. Calls should be made to update lists at least every six months as
personnel moves frequently.
Track coverage at least monthly. Clipping services (both electronic and paper)
are useful for tracking newspaper coverage. Some electronic services will also
track broadcast transcripts uploaded on databases or the world wide web. Many
local papers, especially ethnic and other community presses, are not a part of
these services. It makes sense to regularly monitor (i.e., read, watch, subscribe
to) key outlets in your area.
Monitor with a mission. Look for the issue’s placement in papers or on broadcast
news; who’s quoted, how are they quoted and how much; whether the reporter
had a grasp of the issue’s complexity/importance; and the overall angle or frame
of the story. If there are no stories on the issue, look for coverage on related
issues. For example, if there are no recent stories on teen suicide, what kind of
coverage are teens getting in general?
Don't forget to practice! Media bites don't come naturally. Good ones just sound
that way. Practice messages on friends, relatives and colleagues. And never be
afraid to make a reporter wait a bit while you collect your thoughts. When a
reporter calls, simply ask if they're on deadline and find out when they need the
information. Try to accommodate as much as possible but don't rush to respond
and regret it later. You can always call them back!
A word on the web. Media is changing. Don't just focus on print, radio and TV.
Your website and your e-mail outreach are a part of your communications
strategy. Keep your resources updated. Inform reporters and others of new
additions. Develop your e-mail capacity to effectively reach allies and targets
electronically and develop web resources (websites, e-newsletters, listservs, etc.)
that help tell the story you want to tell with words and visuals.
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7
More Resources for the Journey
There was no intent to betray what seemed so sure at the time. My response
was whole, clean, authentic. But little by little, there crept into my life the dust
and grit of the journey. Details, lower-level demands, all kinds of cross currents nothing momentous, nothing overwhelming, nothing flagrant - just wear and tear.
If there had been some direct challenge - a clear cut issue - I would have fought
it to the end, and beyond... Keep fresh before me the moments of my High
resolve, that in fair weather or foul, in good times or in tempests, in the days
when the darkness or the foe are nameless or familiar, I may not forget that to
which my life is committed.
T
- Howard Thurman
his guide was provided as a starting point in the journey toward building a
Ujima Village in your community. We hope that the information will be
helpful in your work to build healthier, tobacco free communities. The
following are resources that can amplify upon the information provided here.
Please feel free to contact the African American Action Team if you need any
assistance. We're here to help!
Useful Books
K. Bobo, J. Kendall, and S. Max. Organizing for Social Change: A Manual for
Activists in the 1990s. Seven Locks Press, Arlington, VA 22210, 1990 (800) 3545348.
Anne Hope and Sally Timmel. Training for transformation: a handbook for
community workers. Mambo Press, Gweru, Zimbabwe, 1984, Out of print but
copies are often available through www.amazon.com special order services.
J. P. Kretzmann, and J. L. McKnight. Building Communities From the Inside Out:
A Path Toward Mobilizing A Community's Assets. ACTA Publications, Chicago,
1993, (800) 397-2282.
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James Scott. Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts, Yale
University Press, 1990.
D. Hazen and J. Winokur, eds. We the Media: A Citizens' Guide to Fighting for
Media Democracy. New Press, New York, 1997.
Shanto Iyengar. Is Anyone Responsible? How Television Frames Political
Issues. Chicago University Press, 1991.
Makani Themba. Making Policy Making Change: How Communities Are Taking
Law Into Their Own Hands. Chardon Press, 1999.
Lawrence Wallack, et. al. Media Advocacy and Public Health: Power for
Prevention, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, California,1993.
Lawrence Wallack, et. Al. News for a Change: An Advocate’s Guide to Working
With the Media, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, California,1999.
Thandi and Mahmood Hicks-Harper, Hip Hop's Influence Within Youth Popular
Culture, MacFarland, Silver Spring, Maryland, 1998. www.hiphop4kids.com
Resources on Youth Organizing/Engagement
Dr. Thandi Hicks-Harper
Billo Communications
4511 Cedell Place
Temple Hills, MD 20748
(301) 899-7187 (voice) (301) 899-7189 (fax)
email: williedell@aol.com
Listen, Inc.
1436 U Street NW
Suite 201
Washington, D. C. 20009
(202) 483-4494 (voice) (202) 483-1390 (fax)
info@lisn.org
www.lisn.org
Community Development and General Organizing Resources
The Asset-Based Community Development Institute
Institute for Policy Research
Northwestern University
2040 Sheridan Rd
Evanston, IL 60208
(847) 491-3518 (voice) (847) 491-9916 (fax)
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Center for Third World Organizing
1218 E. 21st Street
Oakland, CA 94606
(510) 533-7583 (voice) (510) 533-0923 (fax)
www.ctwo.org
Community Development Institute
321 Bell Street
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 327-5846 (voice)
(650) 327-4430 (fax)
Midwest Academy
225 W. Ohio Street
Suite 250
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 645-6010 (voice) (312)645-6018 (fax)
Email: 76065.1637@compuserve.com
Technical Assistance and Model Policies
Advocacy Institute
1707 L Street, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20012
(202) 659-8475 (voice) (202) 659-8484 (fax)
www.advocacy.org
Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights
2530 San Pablo Avenue
Suite J
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 841-3032 (voice) (510) 841-7702 (fax)
www.no-smoke.org
Center for Policy Alternatives
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 710
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 387-6030 (voice) (202) 986-2539 (fax)
www.cfpa.org
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