How will you shape our nation's civil rights?

You have a chance to be part of the conversation that defines and enforces our civil rights. You are an important part in making change in your communities.

Below, we offer ideas for your own action plan. On the following page, we encourage you to commit to your own plan of action by sharing your your goal, your involvement, and your first step. You may want to type or write answers to the following questions to prepare your plan.

1. Your goal

Consider what is one civil rights issue you care about addressing today. What is the change you’d like to see?

2. Your involvement

Think about the type of action you could take to meet your goal. What way would you like to be involved? The following frameworks may help.

Could you take a step in one of the areas Vanita Gupta shared in the final video?

• Vote. Vote in every local, municipal, state, and federal election.
• Be engaged. Call your members of Congress, and show up to their public appearances like town halls. Direct appeals to Congress have shaped Civil Rights outcomes in the past.
• Support. Contribute to organizations that advocate for the causes you believe in.

Are you interested in becoming an effective advocate? Follow this "Five Elements of Effective Advocacy" framework from Jenifer Martin (Government Relations, University of Michigan) and our healthcare Teach-Out:

1. What is your goal? The most important step in any advocacy strategy is clarifying a goal.

2. Who are the key decision makers?Your Congressional representatives are among the key decision makers in many civil rights issues. Click here to identify your Senators, and click here to identify your Representatives.
3. Can you identify a champion? This is a person who is inside the process, and who will advance your goal internally.

4. Can you build out a coalition? Who are the other individuals or organizations that share your goal?
5. What is your message?How will you communicate it?

3. Your first step

Now that you know how you’d like to be involved, what is the first step you can take? Is there information or resources you need to take that step?