Call to Action: A Three-Pronged Strategy

I am asking all citizens that support the idea for a Gulf Coast Civic Works Project to do 3 small things:

1. contact your congressperson and tell her/him to support the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project (view entire proposal at http://solvingpoverty.blogspot.com/2006/11/gc.html)
2. write a 50-75 word letter to the editor of your local paper
3. email blast to your friends and contacts the link for the project
   (http://www.SolvingPoverty.com)

If you want to become more involved, and you are already working for a social change organization, you can incorporate the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project into your overall goals. If you are not working for a social change organization and want to become more involved, you might want to start up a local chapter of "Civic Works for the Gulf Coast."

Here are some actions you might take:

• hold public viewings of Spike Lee's video: "When the Levees Broke"
• call-in to talk shows (find your local radio, click here)
• hold rallies
• meet with your congressional representative and ask him/her to support it
  

Three-Pronged Strategy:

The strategy behind the implementation of the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project is three-pronged:

1. lobby Congress directly, which has already begun.
2. educate the general public, which is why I am asking all citizens to do the above 3 small things.
3. build a people's movement by contacting grass-roots organizations, and asking for them to actively support the project. It is my belief that without a strong grass-roots movement, the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project will not be implemented, since there are too many forces working to maintain the status quo.

If you decide to become more involved, please post your activities on this blog so people know what is happening around the country. If you have any questions, please contact me at smlipton@sjsu.edu or (510) 508-5382.

best, scott
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Scott Myers-Lipton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Sociology Department
Community Change Concentration
San José State University