Toolkits
For years, working people across rural America have felt forgotten by their elected officials. Progressive leaders have too often dismissed rural concerns, leaving space for right-wing extremists to use rural communities as laboratories for anti-democratic ideology and rhetoric.
State legislators have an opportunity to turn the tide, by championing rural issues based on shared values and working alongside communities to create bold progressive solutions. When legislators take the time to listen, speak to shared values and priorities, and take concrete action generated by communities themselves, it benefits not only rural communities, but makes our whole democracy stronger. These toolkits provide practical communication and organizing tools to help you do just that.
These toolkits are still a work in progress. If you a are state legislator and would like support organizing and communicating on rural topics and policies please reach out to the SiX team at agriculture@stateinnovation.org
Communications Toolkits
About
We partnered with Cornbread and Collards to develop tools to help you speak authentically about progressive issues in a way that centers rural working families and speaks to values we all share. Drawing on learnings from the Working Jobs Narrative, Race Class Narrative, Samara Collective, elected leaders, and grassroots partners, these toolkits join policy and communications best practices to support you in the hard work of leading and legislating in your communities.
Communications Toolkits
- Growing Equitable Food Systems
- Promoting Environmental Stewardship
- Building Rural Infrastructure
- Reining in Corporate Monopolies
- Promoting Fair Economic Competition
- Investing in Rural Livability
- Advancing Rural America’s Freedom to Vote
- Access to Rural Economic Opportunity
- Providing Healthcare for All
- Investing in Sustainable Rural Development
How to Use
Uniting shared values and centering working people are the cornerstones of effectively communicating complex topics to diverse audiences. These toolkits aim to support policymakers in crafting their own authentic messages to advance progressive policies in and with rural communities. As with any starting point, they are not prescriptive, but aim to guide you on shared values and approaches to open the door to an ongoing conversation.
The toolkits each demonstrate a values-based framework and include sample talking points, media examples of successful uses of the framework, and more. To illustrate the flexibility of the framework and the values, we collected the issue areas of the Blueprint into themes, with each toolkit covering one to four issue areas.
Organizing Toolkits
About
We collaborated with CROP members, partners, and rural communities to develop tools to help you, as state policymakers, organize alongside rural communities on progressive issues. Through case studies featuring advocacy and organizing tactics and drawing on learnings from movement, elected leaders, and grassroots partners, these toolkits join policy and organizing best practices to support you in the hard work of leading and legislating in partnership with your communities. These organizing toolkits are still in development. If you would like support in organizing on rural issues in your community please reach out to the SiX Agriculture and Food Systems team at agriculture@stateinnovation.org
Organizing Toolkits
How to Use
Changing the landscape of rural policy in the states is a long arc, and these organizing toolkits are here to help you, a state policymaker, navigate the challenges and opportunities that arise while working on these issues in your state legislatures. Transformative state policy is only as effective as the movement supporting it. From policy development to implementation, the fight to build healthy communities for all doesn’t stop when a bill is signed.
The case studies in these toolkits highlight that lasting change across rural America requires a diverse, inclusive movement uniting our fights for democracy, racial justice, security, sustainability, and bodily autonomy together to build a more resilient and effective rural progressive movement for all of us.
While state policies are discussed within these toolkits, these are primarily organizing toolkits.
Toolkits are divided into two parts. One part is accessible to the public and includes background and landscape information on specific issues impacting rural communities.
The second part of each toolkit is password protected and is only accessible to state legislators. It includes state-based case studies; alternative policies and strategies; communication and narrative resources; and partner resources. To gain access to the password protected parts of the toolkits, visit the toolkit pages or connect with the SiX Agriculture and Food Systems team.