Grassroots & Legislative Advocacy Campaign
This grassroots advocacy campaign aimed to pass the Tennessee vacatur bill, a transformative piece of legislation designed to increase access to vacatur of criminal records for trafficking survivors. Unfortunately, the efforts to pass the bill had lost momentum and direction while the bill itself had stalled in the legislative process. The campaign focused on reinvigorating the bill by mobilizing diverse stakeholders, refining bill language, and empowering survivors to participate in the legislative process. Through strategic coalition building and survivor-led advocacy, the campaign advanced public awareness and legislative action to support survivors’ paths to healing and justice.
Process
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Survivors of trafficking often face lifelong barriers due to criminal records that result from their exploitation. Legislative action was needed to create pathways for vacatur, but overcoming systemic misconceptions and gaining bipartisan support required significant advocacy efforts to push this stalled legislation forward. Survivors, additionally, faced unique challenges in navigating the legislative process and sharing their experiences publicly in a safe and non-exploitative manner.
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My approach to this challenge utilized a comprehensive and inclusive approach:
Coalition Building: On initial review of the problem, it was clear there was little sense of urgency for the bill in the community. To renew interest, I brought together organizations and agencies from across the sector and state, including nonprofit executives, survivor leaders, and government agencies, to align efforts and refine the bill’s language.
Grassroots Mobilization: Once the bill became active again in the legislature, I developed action plans for advocates to engage in direct actions such as letter-writing campaigns, phone banking, and social media guides. These tools were sent to the originally convened group and previously unidentified constituents of Thistle Farms (e.g., program graduates, staff, board, and supporters).
Survivor Empowerment: The bill was scheduled for a hearing. I quickly built on the groundswell of grassroots initiatives by training survivors in public speaking and advocacy, providing them with the tools and support to testify effectively at legislative hearings.
Strategic Advocacy: Throughout this process, I collaborated with lawmakers to address concerns, gain bipartisan support, and ensure the bill’s passage.
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The campaign successfully built widespread support for the Tennessee vacatur bill, empowering survivors and mobilizing advocates both at the state and national levels. By fostering collaboration and engaging policymakers directly, the campaign advanced the legislation and increased public awareness of the systemic barriers survivors face.
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8 organizations and agencies joined the initial convening.
Grassroots calls to action were sent to 343 survivor activists nationwide, 124 of which took 191 direct actions as a result.
HB2234/SB2303 the TN vacatur law was passed and enacted.
Anecdotally, and to my knowledge, at least two survivors from the Thistle Farms program have achieved record vacatur due to the enactment of this law.
