Share Your Story.
by Sarah Nichols on Feb 12, 2019
To all of our dear advocates and supporters out there:
This isn’t the first time we’ve told you this, and it certainly won’t be the last, but your voice matters. And so do your stories.
Research has proven time and again that personalized messaging to lawmakers is the most effective form of advocacy. When your legislators are voting on new bills, it is important for them to have a personal story to connect to the issue. Storytelling is powerful because it humanizes an issue and opens up space for sympathy through individual testimony.
We encourage you to share your story by letting your representatives know why legislation facing South Carolina’s women is of personal importance to you. Do you have any anecdotes about struggling to obtain birth control? What about finding a comfortable place to breastfeed or pump at work? Have you seen any kind of pay inequity in action?
In case you would like some guidance on how to draft a letter to your representatives, you can find a template from our advocacy toolkit below.
So let’s get writing! Once you have written your letter, send it to alidow@scwren.org and we will deliver your personalized message to your representatives.
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Sample 12 Month Supply letter:
Date
The Honorable (full name)
Columbia, SC 29201
Dear Senator/Representative:
As a [choose one: community member / constituent], I urge you to support the 12-Month Supply of Birth Control Act [If you are writing your senator, S187; if you are writing your representative, H3279], that would work to allow access to a 12-month supply of birth control at one time.
Include a personal story. Tell your representative why this bill is important to you and how it affects you, your family member and your community.
- Things to consider: do you have trouble accessing your monthly birth control, if so why?
- What would the passing of this legislation mean to you?
[Insert a fact or two from the “12 Month Supply Fact Sheet”].
When [S.187 if you are writing your senator; H.3279 if you are writing your representative]comes up for debate, I encourage you to think about the health of our state and vote YES.
Sincerely,
(Name)
(Address )
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Sample Lactation Support Letter:
Date
The Honorable (full name)
Columbia, SC 29201
Dear Senator/Representative [Last name]:
As a [choose one: community member / constituent], I urge you to support bill [If you are writing your senator, S.406; if you are writing your representative, H.3200, that would work to provide more people with the right to break time and private space to express milk in their workplaces. This act will provide an opportunity to continuously support the health and economic well-being of women and children in South Carolina.
Include a fact or two about the benefits of breastfeed from the Lactation Support Act fact sheet.
However, many women are not allowed the time or privacy to properly express milk once they go back to work.
If applicable, provide a personal story or experience of why this is important to you. What struggles did you, a co-worker, partner, or friend have while trying to breastfeed or express milk at work? Explain what your challenges were. Did those challenges deter you from expressing milk? Do you still express milk? Why or why not?
When [If you are writing your senator, S.406; if you are writing your representative, H.3200 comes up for debate, I encourage you to think about the health of our state and vote YES.
Sincerely,
(Name)
(Address )
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Sample Pay Equity Support Letter:
Date
The Honorable (full name)
Columbia, SC 29201
Dear Senator/Representative [Last name]:
My name is [insert name] and I am a [insert job position; ex. Teacher, nurse, doctor, medical provider] who [has been/who is] directly affected by the current wage gap in South Carolina, which is why I urge you to support bill [If you are writing your senator, S372; if you are writing your representative, H3615] that would work to ensure that pay for all South Carolina employees will be based on factors such as skill, effort, and responsibility; bans the use of salary history; and provides pay transparency without retaliation.
Or
As a [community member / constituent] and someone closely affected by pay inequality, I urge you to support bill [If you are writing your senator, S372; if you are writing your representative, H3615] that would work to ensure that pay for all South Carolina employees will be based on factors such as skill, effort, and responsibility; bans the use of salary history; and provides pay transparency without retaliation.
Insert your personal story and inform your legislator as to why this bill matters to you.
- Things to consider: how has any of these components (salary history, lack of pay transparency, discrimination) harmed you during the job process, during negotiations, or even after you’ve received an offer?
- Use this opportunity to relate this bill home and what it would mean for you, your future, family, and friends. How has not having a pay equity bill harmed you and your opportunity for economic advancement?
- If you haven’t personally been affected, discuss why you personally value pay equity.
Currently, South Carolina has a larger wage gap than the national average, which is negatively affecting the economy and wellbeing of our state.
Include another fact or two from the “Pay Equity” factsheet.
When “An Act to Establish Pay Equity” [If you are writing your senator, S372; if you are writing your representative, H3615] comes up for debate, I encourage you to think about the health and economic wellbeing of our state and vote YES.
Sincerely,
(Name)
(Address)
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