Effective Activism Guide
Keeping Church and State separate in your area
Activism is about achieving results. If you are going to spend your valuable time being an activist, you should utilize a strategy that is effective in producing results. A single activist can achieve results by using a procedure that is effective.
There is more to being an effective activist than being right. Achieving results involves:
• determining if a genuine problem exists,
• determining who the decision maker is who has the authority to change the improper practice,
• contacting directly the decision maker, either in person or by telephone,
• explaining to the decision maker what the problem is,
• proposing to the decision maker your solution for resolving the problem,
• negotiating a solution that both parties feel is reasonable,
• obtaining a timetable for implementing the solution,
• thanking the decision maker for working with you to resolve the problem,
• following up to ensure that the solution is implemented on a timely basis, and
• going to court if you don't reach an acceptable solution or if the solution is not implemented.
Some people think that activism consists of picketing, protesting and writing letters. Those things are helpful if they are done to demonstrate that there is public support for the solution being proposed by the activist and to put public pressure on the decision maker to resolve the problem in the manner proposed by the activist. However, if those things are done in the absence of the effective activism described above, they do little more than make you feel better. In other words, picketing, protesting and letter writing in the absence of effective activism is just feel-good therapy.
When addressing a state/church separation issue, first determine whether the situation is a legitimate state/church separation violation. The Supreme Court of the United States set forth a three-part test in 1971 in deciding the case of Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 US 602 (1971). This test is commonly referred to as the "Lemon Test." In order for an action by government to be constitutional with respect to state/church separation, the Supreme Court held that the action by government:
• must have a secular purpose,
• must have a principal or primary effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion, and
• must not foster an excessive entanglement between government and religion.
(Notice how George W Bush’s Faith Based Initiative fails all three!)
In addition, many state constitutions are even clearer and have more specific guidelines. You can view many of those provisions here:
www.atheisteye.com/ConstitutionList.html Not every instance of religion in a government setting is unconstitutional. As an example, if a public square is used throughout the year for expressive activity, the government generally cannot exclude speech by private parties from the public square solely on the basis that the speech has a religious content, so long as it is made clear that the religious speech is an expression of a private party and not that of the government.
The most important parts of being an activist is being observant and being willing to do something about it when you come across an issue. As an activist, you are not expected to be a legal expert. When you come across a state/church separation issue that seems to be improper, there are plenty of people out there who have the experience to advise you as to whether the issue is a genuine problem and to consult with you on strategies for successfully challenging the impropriety. Doing research on cases pertaining to your situation takes a lot of time. Don’t make this a major research project. You don’t have to do all the work yourself. Contact people who know what the issues are. It is important to contact these experts because it may be necessary to act quickly. In time you will develop enough experience to determine much more quickly if there is a violation and later why it is.
Here are four resources that you can check with to get a variety of perspectives on whether and how to address a state/church separation issue:
Larry Darby Atheist Law Center
Web site:
www.atheistlaw.org Contact info:
www.atheistlaw.org/contact.cfm Rob Sherman Rob Sherman for Illinois State Representative 53rd District
Web site:
www.robsherman.com Contact info:
www.robsherman.com/information/contact.htm Dave Silverman American Atheists
Web site:
www.atheists.org/ Contact info:
dsilverman@atheists.org Dean Watson Atheist Eye
Web site:
www.atheisteye.com Contact info:
dean@atheisteye.com After you determine there is a violation, you need to determine who the decision maker was that is responsible for implementing it. Do not contact them by letter, email or fax because it will be completely ignored. This is what makes some activist groups ineffective. Always confront the decision maker personally either by phone, private meeting or public meetings such as School Board and Village Hall meetings. Explain to that person what your issues are. Explain why the situation is a problem and propose a solution. Ask for a timetable to get the problem solved and follow up to make sure it has been resolved. If those tactics don’t work, we then put the spotlight of publicity on the situation by informing the Newspapers, Radio Stations and Television Stations.
After you get really good at resolving these problems, the decision makers will typically offer to resolve the problem immediately, as long as you don’t call in the press. For example, most issues that Rob Sherman addresses these days don’t get publicized because of the reputation he has developed and they act on it to prevent public embarrassment. Rob has been labeled as a media hound by those who are jealous of his success. This is a misunderstanding of the purpose of being noticed. It is a powerful tool of intimidation that gives you the necessary leverage to be successful. Because we are not expert lawyers, we need to use alternative strategies like this. The strength of this strategy is the threat of public humiliation. For example, it could let residents know how their tax dollars are being wasted.
If you have been unsuccessful so far, we now want to bring this issue to everyone’s attention. Prepare to give a speech at your local town hall meeting and provide a written statement. Before the meeting, contact your local media outlets like radio and local newspapers to inform them of the upcoming event and what your issues are. Church/State issues are hot topics these days and it may surprise you to find the media eagerly waiting outside for your comments. Make sure your speech is short and concise because you may have a time limit. Make sure you arrive early to sign up for a slot to speak.
The Church and State topic is very controversial these days and controversy is one key element for what is considered newsworthy. It is crucial for you to develop a professional relationship with reporters. Before you call a reporter, make sure to create your own news release. A news release is similar to a newspaper story, having a strong headline and containing facts and quotes. Write your News Release as professionally as possible because it may be published word for word.
News Release Format
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Joe Atheist, phone# , e-mail address
Headline - A headline should be only one sentence with every word capitalized except for words like; of, it, the, a, an, from etc…
Introductory Paragraph – City, State Month Day, Year. Your opening paragraph should cover who, what, when, where, why and how. This is the critical paragraph that introduces your story and captures the editor’s attention and desire to learn more. Never use an exclamation mark on any part of a news release.
Body - The body of your press release provides details on the information given in your introductory paragraph. The body should contain at least two paragraphs. Provide quotes and other relevant information.
Summary – The final paragraph should restate and summarize the key points of your news release.
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When possible, other background materials can also be helpful. The reporter will most likely ask for this information so have immediate access to a fax machine or be able to send it by e-mail. Be prepared to send this information on demand. Make sure you contact the appropriate reporter for this subject matter and develop a list of reporters. You may end up talking to several reporters before one takes the bait. To help prevent the likelihood of having your story ignored, practice your oral presentation. Develop a well focused, 30-second pitch that highlights the essence of your news story. Once you hook them, you can describe in more detail why you are calling and how you can provide them with more information. Practice by leaving messages on a recording device. Of course if you are leaving a message, don’t forget to leave them your phone number. Develop a friendly relationship with reporters. If they write about your story or any other story that you like, call them up and thank them. They will appreciate it, and will be more likely to return your phone call the next time around.
Continued on next post………….