Policymaker Powerplay: Tools for Effective Advocacy

Engaging with policymakers, whether at the local level with school board members or at the national level with US Senators, can be an intimidating undertaking. It requires careful preparation, effective communication, and a good understanding of the issues at hand. This workshop will help individuals who are new to legislative advocacy achieve a level of understanding that will make change more accessible. Participants will

Objectives:

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the MN legislative process
• Learn best practices for one-on-one meetings with policymakers
• Learn how to prepare effective testimony for legislative hearings

Speaker Bio:

Alanna Galloway has been a community activist for over 20 years and a labor activist for the last fifteen years. A former member and Area Vice President of Communications Workers of America (Local 7250), she began facilitating DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and labor workshops in 2012. She is currently the Director of Organizing and Training at the Inter Faculty Organization, the union that represents the faculty, librarians, counselors, and coaches at the Minnesota State Universities.

Alanna is a programming contributor and educator for the Underground Railroad Simulation Program with The Kamau Kambui Circle for Cultural Learning. Alanna is a choir director, a storyteller, a coach, and an educator. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Anthony and their two children, Ezra and Hadiyah.

This training is supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota as part of MPHA's racial health equity work.