“These moments of togetherness renew our strength”: RESULTS Texas-Oklahoma Regional Conference

Here at RESULTS, we often say “persistence usually pays off” or PUPO for short. But persistence has felt trickier to achieve in anti-poverty advocacy for some. It takes healthy reserves of resilience to be persistent. This is especially true for advocates who might hear “no” much more often than “yes” from lawmakers. But how do RESULTS advocates boost resilience? For those who gathered at the Texas-Oklahoma Regional Conference this August, the answer is community.

The advocates who attended this conference found a common thread. Many of them have been in meetings with their congressional office’s staff and felt shut down. There were stories of congressional aides simply refusing to consider RESULTS policy issues. Aides who made oppressive statements or were disrespectful. There were legislators and their staff who would abruptly change the subject altogether.

These are the moments that can challenge our ability to live out our PUPO motto. We know that every respectful interaction with a lawmaker helps build critical relationships. We know it makes a difference. But in the face of what feels like rejection, “knowing” something and feeling it are different. “When we as advocates get discouraged… it is these moments of togetherness that renew our strength and courage,” reflected Expert on Poverty and conference panelist, Tiffany Tagbo. “Being together in person as a community of advocates is always empowering and affirming. This experience reinforced the importance of community in advocacy work. Being surrounded by others who understand the challenges and who celebrate the victories reminds me that we’re breaking the chains of generational poverty.”

As a RESULTS staff member, I attended this conference and felt similarly moved. There is such beauty in community. It empowers me to keep advocating even when the work gets hard and exhausting.

The conference included sessions where advocates practiced skills and delved into policy. Everyone worked on “motivational interviewing.” This is a communication tactic that fosters collaboration. It can then motivate a lawmaker to change opinions. As part of the training, an advocate would act as the volunteer engaging their member of Congress. They start the conversation from a place of shared values. The advocate then moves the conversation from this consensus toward the policy “ask”. In addition to practicing skills, attendees described their personal experiences. There were moments of laughter. Participants also shared knowledge from firsthand experiences with poverty. The passion and honesty that every advocate brought to the event was admirable. My biggest takeaway from the conference is the power in vulnerability. Advocacy is heart work. We all have different backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

Our differences make our community stronger. And our community makes our advocacy unstoppable. A reminder that coming together — in whatever shape that takes — fuels our PUPO mentality as we strive every day to fight poverty.