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Good morning. My name is Tod Schneider. I serve on the board of Womenspace and Halfway House, Inc. locally, and serve nationally as a consultant and writer on safe school design and violence prevention. I’ve also been the Eugene Police crime prevention specialist for the past 19 years. Being forced to see people at their worst—addicted, mentally ill, desperately poor, selfish, cruel or just plain dysfunctional-- has tempered my idealism with pragmatism, and has both broadened and complicated my perspective considerably on the struggle to improve human rights. Making criminal justice fully compatible with social justice is a daunting challenge—a challenge on which, historically, the system is generally lagging behind.
On a street level, the criminal justice system plays a vital role in restraining human beings from robbing, beating, raping, or otherwise victimizing each other. But it’s an imperfect system. Its good intentions too often have bad effects, with unequal treatment and unproductive consequences. I’m sure it’s not news to anyone here that the law has a tendency to tilt in favor of those who write the rules--the powerful--over the powerless.
Improving that system is not easy. It’s tempting to just accept it as is, warts and all, and wait for it to mysteriously evolve all on its own. Unfortunately, we all know that’s not going to happen. So the challenge is continual, and it’s essential—to move society forward, complaining all the way, in pursuit of social justice.
It’s a great honor to keynote such a worthy conference. I promise to keep it short. With only 20 minutes I’m going to have to drop a lot of the platitudes and focus on the pragmatic, so be prepared. I’d like to thank Laurie Trieger and all those who have helped pull this together. I’d also like to thank all of you for keeping your eye on the prize, and for your incredible, noble work pursuing social justice. You are an inspiration. I feel like the MC at the Oscars or something—not really all that special, but maybe here to recognize those who are—too bad you forgot to wear your tuxes and tiaras and designer gowns. I’ll go ahead and thank your mother and your agent, and all the little people who make it possible en masse if that’s OK. So--An Oscar for everyone.
Chances are, anyone here today is already aware of the problem: Too many people are poor and suffering from related problems, and it’s unacceptable.
- Over 840 million people in the world go hungry every day.
- 6 million children die each year from hunger-related causes.
- At least 10 million people across America live in households that suffer from hunger, and some say its three times that number.
So those are some numbers to contemplate. They can be overwhelming, discouraging or mind-numbing. And when the real people behind those numbers fade into statistics, it can push us into a state of compassion fatigue. The fact is, one child hungry, one senior citizen living on the streets, is an outrage. This should be an embarrassment for such a rich country. It is a crisis and a tragedy, and it is not a surprise to anyone in this room.
But there is hope.The financial costs to end hunger are relatively slight. The United Nations Development Program estimates the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year. Animal lovers in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food annually.
It can be done.Let me dwell for a minute on one particular advocate, a man who was buried sixty years ago today. Franklin Roosevelt was probably the greatest advocate for social justice this country has ever elected President. Struck by polio as a young adult, he learned the limitations of self-reliance, and the important role society plays in taking care of those in need. Most people know him as the father of the New Deal. Few realize that, before his presidency, he was Governor of New York. In that role he first tested the waters of his new ideas by setting up the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration (TERA). “It is clear to me,” he said “that it is the duty of those who have benefited by our industrial and economic system to come to the front in such a grave emergency and assist in relieving those who under the same system are the losers and sufferers.” TERA’s first priority was to provide jobs for the unemployed. When work could not be found, the agency provided food, clothing and shelter. By 1932, TERA was providing some form of relief for nearly one family out of ten in New York State.
New York became the first state in the nation to fight unemployment by direct government action. To do this, Roosevelt had to double the state income tax. His critics charged that he would bankrupt New York. His admirers regarded him as the governor who had done the most to relieve suffering and put people back to work.
Roosevelt was elected to the Presidency in 1932, calling for government programs “that build from the bottom up and not from the top down, that put their faith once more in the forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid.”
The Works Projects Administration provided jobs for 8 million people over the course of a decade, and helped change the face of America. Despite the fact that almost every newspaper in the country opposed Roosevelt, the voters were on his side by nearly 11 million votes, the biggest popular plurality ever recorded. Roosevelt carried every state except Maine and Vermont, winning 523 electoral votes to Landon’s 8.
So social justice is hardly a new idea, and it’s not beyond our reach. With strong leadership and an active citizenry, powerful changes can happen. It happened 60 years ago under Roosevelt. It happened in India with Mahatma Gandhi, and Africa with Nelson Mandela. It happened across America thanks to Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez. And in all those cases it happened because most people, presented with a clear vision and truly moral leadership, are willing to take action.
Advocacy does make a difference, has made a difference, and, short of divine intervention, is the only thing that will make a difference.Internationally, the Global Jubilee campaign of 1998 convinced nations to write off $60 billion in third world debt, and to funnel much of those payments into health and education for the poor.
Advocates like yourselves, here in Oregon, have rounded up and distributed almost sixty million pounds of food over the past year, about a tenth of that here in Lane County, where about 80,000 residents were served.
So we’re well beyond wishful thinking.
Why are we here today?I’m hoping we’re all here to help tilt the scales in favor of social justice and the American Dream at its best. We’re here to do some networking and planning, and to pick up some fresh strategies, tools or perspectives. I hope we can deliver in some of those areas. Our goal is to see you leaving at the end of the day rejuvenated, inspired and hopeful that you are going to move a few more mountains this year. The resources are there, the spirit is there, we’re all here, and all we have to do is blast ahead. With your continued leadership this can be done, and this will be done.
Which is not to say you couldn’t use a little more help, and a little more hope.
That brings us to the pragmatic part. How can we be more effective as advocates?At the most basic level, I’d suggest there are three areas where there’s always room for improvement: improving ourselves, improving our ability to provide direct services, and improving our ability to bring about systemic change.
Permit me to offer some cheap advice in those three areas:
First, in terms of self-improvement. Five points to consider include the following:
- Stay humble. If humility doesn’t come easily to you, put on a hospital gown—this is especially advised if you’re in the medical profession. It’s easier to be humble with your butt hanging out. Remember that we’re not all that different from the people we serve—we’re just a smidgeon luckier. We’ve got jobs, someplace to sleep, health care, and some idea of where our food’s going to come from over the foreseeable future. For the vast majority of us, we’re just a small calamity or two away from the other end of the service line.
- Stay confident. If you doubt yourself, get a dog. If you’re half as great as your dog thinks you are, you’ve got plenty to offer. Or better yet, volunteer. There’s nothing like being useful, and being thanked, to remind you of your own worth. You can do this, despite your shortcomings. Sometimes they can even help. There’s nothing wrong with being human. If you wait around for perfection to kick in, you may be waiting a while. Aim for it, sure, but don’t wait for it to happen.
- Pursue the healing you need. It is possible to become burned out, overwhelmed, uncentered or unhinged. Take care of yourself. Have a good laugh. One good indicator that you need a break: are you suspicious of happy people? Don’t confuse advocacy with therapy. Venting may feel good, and it can be productive, but used indiscriminately it can push away the people you’re trying to win over.
- Pursue the skills you need. If you want to be a philanthropist, first you need to raise some money. If you want to be a farmer, better put in some time in the fields. If you want to be an effective rabble-rouser, bridge-builder, letter-writer, cheer-leader, fund-raiser, politician, problem-solver or inspiration—look to those who play those specific roles well—meaning that whatever they’re doing seems to get the desired results--and take their workshops or pick their brains.
- Be a role model. Lead by example. Be hopeful, and the people you serve might be too. Be what you want to see in the world.
The second area of advocacy for which I’m offering cheap advice is direct service. My advice is:
- Be creative. Just because the resources don’t exist doesn’t mean you can’t make something happen. Direct service workers do this all the time.
- Be patient. Often the resources exist, but hunting them down is a frustrating experience. Remember, if it was easy our clients could do it themselves.
- Whenever possible, teach your clients to fish. The more our clients can fend for themselves, the more they become empowered.
- Share the wealth. How many agencies have their own clothes closets? How many agencies have volunteers with “down” time? Extra office space? We need to find ways to share what we’ve got.
The third category for which I offer cheap advice is: speaking truth to power.
Conclusion
- Finding the courage is a good place to start. Dorothy Parker, a wit from another era, was once chastised as being very outspoken. “Really?” she replied. “Outspoken by whom?” There’s plenty of reason to play it safe. Stories are released on a regular basis illustrating punitive responses to critics, let alone whistle-blowers. This is a terrible development, particularly in a democracy. That punitive message is being sent for a reason—to humble you. To make you tremble. And the only way to respond is to call its bluff.
- Build support. Tilting at windmills can be noble work—and advocacy often starts with a lone voice in the wilderness. But our odds are far better if we don’t go it alone. There’s strength in unity—speaking with one voice; and there’s strength in numbers—having a broad base of support. Building support means more than making your case; it means looking for commonalities with someone else’s case as well. It means inspiring others to become actively involved, to make the time, to write a check, to introduce a bill or to recognize common ground. Be generous with praise and recognition.
- Do your homework. Knowledge is power. Know what you’re talking about. Credibility is of tremendous value in expanding your circle of influence.
- Make a unified strategic plan. Clarify a common purpose with your allies. Clearly identify your mission, objectives, strategies, and action plans. Without a clear goal, we can’t tell if we’re getting anywhere.
- Identify your target audience and reframe your message accordingly. Finding the courage to speak at all is one thing, crafting the right message is another. Different audiences respond to different approaches. Attacks and accusations are war-tactics, and sometimes they are appropriate—in confronting complacency or wrongdoing. But persuasion and education build support, and are more likely to be helpful in coalition building. Which tactic fits your action plan, strategy, objective and mission-- Threatening to burn someone at the stake, or inviting them to break bread with you?
- Maximize your impact. Will your interaction build trust, respect and on-going dialogue? Can you expand your sphere of influence? Abe Lincoln counseled, “destroy your enemy by making him your friend.” A few pointers in this category are as follows:
- First impressions are critical. Dress for success. How does my appearance work with or against your biases? What would improve my credibility?
- Make it safe for your adversary to let down his guard and hear new perspectives or information. Start from the heart. Give them a chance to speak.
- Don’t demonize, humanize. There are no advantages to making enemies. Assume that most people want to do good.
- Practice—try out your material on a friend before taking on the world. Videotape yourself and play it back. See if you’re convincing.
So those are a few pragmatic points to ponder, for what they’re worth. Each area of concern benefits from different tactics and approaches. But one thing they all share is an overriding need to build hope in ourselves and in the people we serve.
One of my favorite stories about hope building comes from a therapist back east who was working with a woman who had survived severe psychological abuse as a child. She told him that one day a police sketch artist came to visit her classroom, looked at this little girl’s drawing and made a passing compliment—“What a nice picture. Stick with that and you could be a great artist some day.” That, reported the woman, is what got her through her childhood. A simple compliment. A complete stranger believing in her. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that even the smallest act of kindness can have a powerful impact on people’s lives.
Fear and hope are at opposite ends of a continuum. As advocates, you help people move from one end of that spectrum to the other.
Fear is integrated into a violent world view: the world is a scary place where no one’s going to help you, but they are going to hurt you. You’d better fight back, or strike out pre-emptively, or alternately run for the hills, cower in fear, accept your subjugation. Fear polarizes communities and nations.
Hope challenges that world view. It says the world is not irreparably violent and evil, that others will help you, that it’s OK to speak your mind, to defend your worth, to defend others, to defend justice. Finally, hope says follow me, in the form of a vision, or a leader, or a role model—an advocate—who will show you how.
I hope you’ll join me shortly in watching the powerful movie, “Strong at the Broken Places.” In it, you’ll meet at least a few extraordinary people, who found their way back from the abyss. In every case, they came back from horrendous circumstances to do good works. I hope you find as much inspiration in their stories as I do. We can all make a difference, with even the most humble contributions. It all helps. So don’t lose heart, never give up, and remember--Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.
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