By
Inez Killingsworth, NPA Co-Chairperson
 In
early March, 50 new and seasoned community leaders took Washington,
DC by storm. At the second annual National People's Action leadership
summit, we set the pace for the NPA conference in May. We had 25
meetings in 24 hours with federal agencies, congressional representatives
and foundations. We educated, we agitated and we kicked some ass.
It was a smaller group this year - 50 people doing the job that
100 did last year. Although the summit had fewer numbers, the ones
who came were even more determined. It was our feeling that we were
standing up and representing the others who couldn’t come.
So we came together as a team.
But to be perfectly honest, I was still amazed at the territory
we covered and the number of different people we met with in the
short amount of time that we had. I don’t know about anyone
else, but I was dead tired afterwards.
What struck me after I had time to regroup, is that it is trips
like this one that we have to do more of. We have to go more often
to the offices (and sometimes the homes) of these policy-makers
and get in their face more than we do now. One or two times a year
is not enough. Small groups or large, NPA must show our power to
the policy-makers.
It’s unfortunate that we have to remind the politicians that
we sent to Washington, DC that we still exist. Because just two
years ago, they were coming into our synagogues, our churches, our
public meetings and promising us the world. They promised us that
they would address our issues when they made it to Washington; that
they would meet with us, that they would respond to us and represent
our interests.
Oh how quickly they forget.
Because when we call them or arrive at their offices, their memories
as well as their promises seem to have disappeared.
We must make our presence known at home and bring our issues to
their faces in DC. We need to make these trips on a more regular
basis where we show our strength, our expertise and our diversity.
We have to remind them that we are the same people that they made
promises to just a short while ago.
Otherwise they will be back in our neighborhoods two or six years
down the road with excuses for failures of the past and more empty
promises for the future.
We have to remind the legislators that “We the People,”
are the neighborhood residents. Not the corporations. Not the banks.
Not the federal agencies. But the people that live and work in the
communities who make up this country and are the very same people
that helped them get into office.
The annual National People’s Action Conference is less than
three months away. NPA is our big opportunity to get in their faces
to remind them of their promises and obligations to us.
Three months may seem like a long time, but it will pass you by
in a second if you are not prepared. So it’s time to start
gearing up for the conference in your own community.
1) Continue to build your power on the local level. As you fight
and win on local issues, it builds the momentum on our national
issues.
2) Traveling to Washington, DC costs money. Work with your community
organization to figure out how to get as many community leaders
to DC as possible. Some groups raise money through bake sales. Others
have raffles. Get as creative as you want, so we can see you in
DC.
3) To build excitement for NPA, show the video of last year’s
NPA conference. Even after attending over 25 NPA conferences, I
still get a shiver down my spine when I watch these videos. For
new and seasoned leaders alike you can feel the power of NPA when
watching the video.
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