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Friend,
As an alderwoman in a small town, Nicole Robinson spends most of her time working to improve neighborhood drainage, organize health fairs, advocate for improvements to public safety and ensure that the drinking water of Port Gibson, Mississippi, population 1,189, is clean.
But ever since she attended the Advocacy Institute, a series of seminars launched a year ago by the Southern Poverty Law Center to provide a broad range of local leaders with the skills they need to create positive change in Mississippi, Robinson has been thinking bigger.
The barber who sat next to Robinson showed her how he uses the room behind his shop as a place to help mentor young people – part of his mission to improve his community after being incarcerated years ago for a felony. A furniture store owner who was once part of a gang shared his poetry, and his passion for introducing people released from prison to literature. And a public defender with 40 years of experience in the legal profession taught Robinson how hard it can be to protect the constitutional rights of defendants who cannot afford their own lawyers.
“I always wanted to make a difference in my community, but, for me, attending this, it was an eye-opener. I had no idea all this was going on around me,” Robinson said. “The people in my class, they gave me great insights into the things they’ve been through. It made me think that I want to do something outside of just being a city alderperson. I want to help everyone in my community, but I want to venture outside a little bit more, open up my mind. I want to agitate. I want to do more.”
The Advocacy Institute kicks off its second year today in Jackson, Mississippi. Led by the SPLC’s Mississippi state office, the Institute is a training ground for new organizers across the state focused on community education and transformative change. The curriculum includes lessons on how to push for change through the power of storytelling, advocacy and organizing.
“We are working to build power in Mississippi from the ground up, and instituting programs like the Advocacy Institute will drive that change by empowering participants to address the issues that most impact people in the state,” said Waikinya Clanton, the Mississippi state director for the SPLC. “Mississippi is ripe for change.”
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In solidarity,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
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