BOOK CORNER February Book of the Month
Affirmative Advocacy: Race, Class, and Gender in Interest Group Politics
by Dara Z. Strolovitch
Reviewed by Betsy Leondar-Wright
When a national organization advocates for a large constituency, how much attention does it give to its least advantaged constituents versus its most advantaged constituents?
For example, how much do women’s groups focus on women of color? How much do black civil rights groups focus on impoverished African Americans? How much do Latino groups focus on the most underpaid immigrant workers? How much do senior groups focus on gay seniors?
Dara Strolovitch researched this question and found that most of the 286 national organizations she studied were less active on issues that only affected what she calls their “intersectionally disadvantaged subgroups” (i.e., members facing more than one “ism”). Most of their money and staff time went to universal issues affecting their whole constituency or the majority. Many of the examples in her book are about class: working-class and poor people’s problems are marginalized.
The tilt towards issues affecting more advantaged constituents comes from several causes. Sometimes that’s all a funder will fund. Strategic concerns about mobilizing the greatest number of members, specializing in a recognizable niche, and responding to political threats and opportunities all may turn leaders’ attention away from less-advantaged constituents’ concerns.
But some national organizations Strolovitch surveyed have a much better track record, practicing the “affirmative advocacy” she recommends. The book outlines very helpful suggestions on how to improve an organization’s work on behalf of its least privileged constituents:
- Have an organizational mandate to focus on disadvantaged subgroups’ concerns, with strong commitment by leaders and an inclusive social justice vision and ideology;
- When choosing issues, assess not only how many people an issue affects, but how severely it affects them;
- Learn about the priorities of other groups advocating for the constituencies underrepresented in your group;
- Address your organization’s internal inequities and have positive diversity practices;
- Keep increasing representation of the disadvantaged subgroup on your staff, board, and other influential bodies until they are over-represented, and include these representatives in all discussions of priorities -- without falling into the trap of expecting one token person to represent the whole constituency, or thinking that every person of that identity thinks alike;
- Form coalitions with diverse groups, and then insist that the coalition also follow these practices to include disadvantaged subgroups.
As I read the book, I kept thinking about the range of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) organizations I’ve known. At one end of the spectrum is the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). I went to their big annual Massachusetts event two years ago, and in my fanciest clothes I felt underdressed among the evening dresses and black-tie suits. Men outnumbered women three to one, and the very few people of color were politicians or well-off professionals. I’m exaggerating here, but the message seemed to be that if only GLBT people could get legally married in every state, our lives would be perfect. The 3-hour program had just one segment not focused on universal GLBT civil-rights issues; it was about homeless gay youth, and the only presence of low-income people at the event (besides those serving us dinner) was some of those youth performing for us on stage. I appreciate HRC for their tireless DC lobbying for employment non-discrimination and marriage rights, but I wish they listened more to all their grassroots constituents and had more accountability to less-privileged queers.
When HRC calls us for donations, my partner always says firmly, “We’re not HRC lesbians. We’re National Gay and Lesbian Task Force lesbians.” NGLTF works on all the same issues as HRC, but many others as well: hate crimes, the cost of AIDS drugs, transgender inclusion, immigration rights, and on and on. I went to their annual Creating Change conference a few years ago and was buoyed up by the exuberant rainbow of diverse queers. Every year there is a pre-conference for people of color and one for youth, to make sure those groups coalesce and feel enfranchised. Sometimes there is a pre-conference focused on classism.. I went to workshops in the racism track that runs through the whole weekend. Celebrating Massachusetts same-sex marriage with NGLTF felt very different than celebrating with HRC, more nuanced, balanced with understanding that victory as just one step forward in a wider struggle for social justice for everyone. Advocacy groups representing every constituency could use NGLTF as a role model of inclusion.
A local group in New York City, Queers for Economic Justice, focuses entirely on the poorest LGBT people’s issues, such as how queers are treated in homeless shelters. They are a perfect example of the kind of group Strolovitch says national groups should learn from. Kudos to Dara Strolovitch for her very labor-intensive research, and for illuminating not just the problem but some solutions as well!
View previous Class Action Book of the Month selections...
December 2008: (Movie) Zoned In
November 2008: Virtual Inequality: Beyond the Digital Divide
October 2008:The Trillion Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, High Rollers and the Great Credit Crash
September Book of the Month: Race and Class Matters at an Elite College
July Book of the Month: Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You With the Bill)
June Book of the Month: Without a Net: The Female Expereince of Growing Up Working Class
May Book of the Month: Women Without Class: Girls, Race and Identity
April Book of the Month: Trembling in Bones
March Book of the Month:The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality
February Book of the Month: Class and Parenting
January Movie of the Month: The Story of Stuff
December Book of the Month: Graceful Simplicity: Towards a Philosophy & Politics of Simple Living
November Book of the Month: All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life
October Movie of the Month:The Milagro Beanfield War
September Book of the Month: Tearing Down the Gates
August Book of The Month: Staff Picks
July Book of the Month: Theory of the Leisure Class
June Book of the Month: Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons
May Book of the Month: Death in the Haymarket
April Book of the Month: Food Politics
March Book of the Month: Psychology and Economic Injustice
February Book of the Month : What's My Name, Fool?
December Book of the Month:
Dead Heat: Global Justice and Global Warming
November Book of the Month: Awol
October Book of the Month: Class Passing
September Book and Video of the Month: Beyond Silenced Voices and Declining By Degrees
August Books of the Month: Human Cargo and Gathering the Sun
July Book of the Month: The Overworked American by Juliet Schor
June Book of the Month: More Money Than God by Steven R. Leder
May Book of the Month: Global Class by Jeff Faux
April Books of the Month: Classified and Strapped
March Book of the Month: Welfare Brat, A Memoir by Mary Childers
February Book of the Month: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
January Book of the Month: Invisible Privilege: A Memoir about Race, Class, and Gender by Paula Rothenberg
View last year's Book of the Month selections...
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