One way for sociologists to advocate for our discipline is by communicating with legislators and other policymakers, especially at the local level. Legislators rely on voting constituents to provide them with information on the topics about which we care. You can communicate with legislators through in-person and virtual meetings, phone calls, letters, emails, and social media. Here are some resources that may be helpful as you consider your advocacy efforts:
PEN America has a tracker that helps us keep track of some relevant legislation. Other useful, more general, legislation trackers are Plural, LegiScan, and GovTrack.
Our lobbying partners, the Consortium of Social Sciences and the National Humanities Alliance, have excellent guides to take us through the relevant steps:
Consortium of Social Sciences Advocacy Handbook
National Humanities Alliance Advocacy Guide and District Advocacy Guide
Crucial to these advocacy efforts is making the case for the value of sociology. The National Humanities Alliance has several tools for documenting the impact of your work.
You can also consider writing compelling op-eds for local and regional outlets on issues that are a matter of concern to your legislators. And you can use the content in relevant op-eds as talking points for your advocacy efforts.
