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Kitchen Table Activism

Background: Kitchen Table Activism (KTA) is a monthly project of the Rural Organizing Project. Often building on quarterly themes, short actions are described in each KTA. The theory is that basic steps and tasks can lead to powerful collective results as small groups of people gather to complete the same action throughout the state of Oregon.

ROP works to keep the basic tasks easily achievable so that groups with other projects or groups with limited immediate energy can still manage to complete the KTA each month.

 


 

Rural Organizing Project
PO Box 1350,      Scappoose, OR 97056 

(503) 543-8417              Fax: (503) 543-8419

office@rop.org

 

November 2007 Activity

Closing the Job Gap:
Getting the Word Out in Our Local Media!

 

WHY THIS ACTIVITY? When we look around our communities, we can see the economic pain that our friends and neighbors are experiencing.  And if we look just a little bit deeper, we can see the way that the stress and fear of not being able to make ends meet gets channeled into all sorts of problems in our towns that are both personal and political – from rising debt to drug use and domestic violence to increases in hate crimes, anti-immigrant sentiment, and the poverty draft that is keeping the military afloat right now.     

In late October, ROP partner organization, NW Federation of Community Organizations released the 2007 NW Job Gap Study.  This year's report has data for every county in Oregon. The study finds that the cost of living is rising faster than actual wages. The main reason is the surging cost of health care. Housing, transportation and high cost of oil/gas also play a role.  This data gives us the opportunity to validate the economic crunch that our neighbors are experiencing and encourage them to weigh their reality against the priorities of the US government, from the President’s veto of children’s healthcare (SCHIP) to the request for another $190 billion in war funding.

WHAT IS THE ACTIVITY?  This month’s KTA asks your group to take the local data for your county and get it in circulation through your local papers.  This could be by releasing a press release, submitting Letters to the Editor, or getting an Op-Ed piece published.  ROP has samples available for you to work from.  This will also give your local group a chance to increase your relationship with the local media.  OPB has already covered this release, so there is precedent that might encourage many of our local papers to cover this story with a local angle.   

STEPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY:

 

  1. Check out the 2007 Job Gap Study and County data at http://www.nwfco.org/job_gap.htm.  Compare these figures with the National Priority Project’s data on county by county cost of the Iraq War 2008 proposed spending at http://nationalpriorities.org/cms/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=23897&qid=38679.  What is needed for a living wage in your county?  What is your county’s share of the proposed $190 billion for the war in 2008? 

     2. Share this data with your leadership team and discuss how you would like to make use of it   locally:

    • Which hook or local angle would your community respond best to? 
    • What information do you most want to highlight?
    • Two current messages that might be good media hooks are:

(1) Override the veto & fully fund SCHIP;

(2) Oppose $190 Billion in War funding, while hard working families fall into the job gap.

 

  1. Decide if you will submit Letters to the Editor or release your own Press Release.  ROP has a sample press release that you can edit for your group or draw from for writing your letters to the editor.  Click here to read the sample press release.  For support or more details, email amy@rop.org.

 

  1. Consider who else in your community should have access to this information.  This could include County Commissioners, your local State legislators, School Board members, or others. 

 

  1. Send ROP press clippings or other links to any media coverage that helps to tell the story of the job gap in Oregon.

 

Tips for Great Letters to the Editor!

  • Make it personal – How are you impacted as a mother of three?  As a veteran?  As a student?
  • Include your Congressperson and Senators by name.   All congressional offices clip any media that has the Member of Congress’ name included.