Above: Part of the non-partisan resources a resident asked me to share with leaders is advice on how to effectively advocate for your cause when writing to legislators. (cropped from APA website)
Witnessing the pain so many people are feeling across the country, a Southborough resident asked me to help share resources to allow community members to “remotely advocate for justice”.*
The information she asked me to share is non-partisan. It focuses on how residents can reach out to government officials to share their concerns on any issues.
Before you whip up your letter or email, you may want to read some guidance that from the American Psychological Association. Under its “Guide to Advocacy”, the website advises on how to write a letter or email that stands out “among the hundreds of letters and emails that flood the mailboxes of congresspeople each day”.
Once you’ve written what you want to say, you’ll need to know how to send it. Kaela Dunne helped put together this list with contact information on Southborough’s representatives at the state, county, and regional level:
State Senator Worcester & Middlesex Districts – Jamie Eldridge
Office Phone: 617-722-1120
Email: james.eldridge@masenate.gov
State Representative – Carolyn Dykema
Office Phone: 617-722-2680
Email: Carolyn.Dykema@mahouse.gov
Worcester County Sheriff – Lew Evangelidis
Office Phone: 508-854-1800
https://worcestercountysheriff.com/contact/
District Attorney, Middle District – Joseph Early Jr.
Office Phone: 508-755-8601
Email: info@worcesterda.org
I’m adding contact links for more government officials, depending on how high you want to go:
Massachusetts
- Attorney General – Maura Healey
- Governor – Charlie Baker
United States
- Representative in Congress, Fifth District – Katherine M. Clark
- Senator – Edward J. Markey
- Senator – Elizabeth A. Warren
- Attorney General – William Barr
- President – Donald J. Trump
Of course, depending on your concerns, you may want to go more local. You can always email town concerns to the Board of Selectmen at selectmenoffice@southboroughma.com or mail to them at 17 Common Street. (And you can find other boards here.)
Almost all of the officials listed above are elected. (And don’t forget, our Town Election is coming up quickly, plus there’s a big election this fall.) Dunne asked me to remind you how you can register to vote if you aren’t already. Click here to register or to change your registered information.
*While the information above is non-partisan for use on any issue of political concern, resident Kaela Dunne personally plans to use it to share her concerns about racial injustice and violence. She hopes others will join her:
Like so many Americans, I am deeply concerned about the injustices and violence black communities face on a daily basis. I also plan to use my privilege and voice to share this concern with local legislators. Would you be willing to share a list of resources for writing to legislators and registering to vote on the website? I believe that having these resources easy to access for Southborough residents to use will hopefully enact positive change in the future. . . Thank you for your time and I hope you consider publishing these resources and spreading the word on how to remotely advocate for justice!
