Nationwide, Americans are experiencing a coordinated attack on our civil rights designed to make us feel overwhelmed and powerless. The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLU-SDIC) is meeting this moment by launching two civic engagement campaigns to educate the public on how to engage with their local elected representatives and advocate for the issues that impact our communities.
Meet Your School Board Members and Meet Your Board of Supervisors are multi-media campaigns aimed at empowering San Diego and Imperial County residents to advocate for change on a local level. Each campaign includes a website page, social media videos, graphic explainers and a comprehensive toolkit that explains each governing body, the powers they hold and the issues they can impact. These toolkits also teach our communities how to schedule and run meetings with local elected officials and include a sample meeting agenda to guide this vital community advocacy.
Branden C. Sigua, senior policy advocate for the ACLU-SDIC, said,
“The San Diego County Board of Supervisors collectively oversees a budget of more than $8 billion and the Imperial County Board of Supervisors manages a budget of more than $750 million. Every dollar of those budgets is supplied by the taxpayers and their constituents. Elected officials make decisions on behalf of everyone in our communities; however, they are not independent actors. You and your voice are an essential part. Meeting with your supervisor and telling them about how an issue impacts you is essential to a government working for the good of its constituents.”
Anjleena Kour Sahni, ACLU-SDIC racial & economic justice policy advocate, said,
“All students should be in a school environment where they are safe, welcome, and have all the tools they need to develop, succeed and thrive. School boards are critical forms of government which make decisions that either create this reality, or work against it. However, many of us don’t pay enough attention to the power of school boards. People should know how impactful their voice can be, and what an astounding difference it can make when values-aligned individuals are in these positions.”
Crystal Quezada, Imperial Valley regional director, for the ACLU-SDIC, said,
“Elected officials have an obligation to be accessible to their constituents. Our Meet your School Board Members and Meet your Board of Supervisors campaigns help guide and support our communities through the process. Civic engagement is more than turning out to vote – it’s being involved in your local government by attending meetings, making public comment and ensuring your representatives know what is important to you. Elected officials should represent the values of their constituents. We hope to see the community share those values by meeting with their board of supervisors and/or school board members.”
The ACLU-SDIC invites the public to join our civic engagement campaigns in San Diego and Imperial counties. You can view and download our toolkits on the Meet Your School Board Members webpage at bit.ly/MYSBM, the Meet Your Board of Supervisors San Diego County webpage at bit.ly/MYBOS-SD and the Meet Your Board of Supervisors Imperial County webpage at bit.ly/MYBOS-IC.
