Dear Writers,
You may have heard about the potential freeze on federal funding last week and proposals to cut or limit funding for the arts. Community arts programs are vital for community well-being, and we all flourish when the arts sector is thriving. Gemini Ink itself is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, like many other arts organizations in our city.
In light of these developments, this is an important time to contact your senator and congressperson to express your support for community arts programming. You may do this in any way that is comfortable for you, and we offer suggestions below for how best to call your congressperson to voice your opinion.
Gemini Ink has been San Antonio’s Writing Arts Center for over 31 years, and we are honored to serve our vibrant community of writers and artists; we thrive only when our community thrives. Join us in support of the arts and consider contacting your congressperson to tell them why community arts programs matter to you.
In gratitude,
Alexandra van de Kamp
Executive Director
Gemini Ink
How to Reach Out To Your Congressperson
*This advice is adapted from a comment to a post by Cary Clack on how to reach out to your congressperson.
In-person contact is BEST: The best thing to do is have face-to-face time.
- If they have town halls, go to them.
- Go to their local offices.
- If you’re in DC, go to an event of theirs.
- Go to the “mobile offices,” all these times are on each congressperson’s website. When you go, ask a lot of questions and push for answers.
- The more vocal and present you can be at those the better.
Calls are CRUCIAL: Make frequent calls, even more than one daily (to each Senator’s DC & local offices, and to your Representatives). Online contact is often ignored.
The official U.S. Senate and Congress websites: This is a great place to start. They have a “Find Your Senator” tool where you can enter your address and it will tell you who your Senators are. Here’s the link: https://www.senate.gov/senators/
https://www.congress.gov/
Call Strategy:
- Ask for the relevant staffer. When calling the DC office, ask for the Staff member in charge of whatever you’re calling about (Example: “Hi, I’d like to speak with the staffer in charge of Arts & Culture, please”). If you can’t reach them, get their name.
- Be specific: Clearly state the issue and what you want the Senator to do.
- Make it personal: Mention your vote, profession, or relevant identity.
- Be brief: Keep your message concise and to the point.
- Provide your zip code: Especially if you’re a constituent who votes for them. They might not always ask for it, but make sure you give it to them. This helps the office track constituent concerns.
- Focus on one or two issues per call: This helps the staff categorize and report the calls.
- Scripts help: Use prepared scripts if phone calls are awkward. See below for a sample script.
- Don’t be afraid to call repeatedly: Consistent contact is important.
Organize contacts
Save numbers in your phone all under “P – Politician,” to make it easy to click down the list each day.
Examples:
Politician McCaskill, MO
Politician McCaskill, DC
Politician Blunt MO, etc…
Sample Script:
“Hello, my name is [Your Name] and I’m a constituent from [Your City/Zip Code]. I’m calling Senator [Senator’s Name]. I voted for you in the last election and I’m disappointed/happy/whatever regarding [Specific action or vote by the Senator]. I believe this [Explain why you disagree with their action and the negative consequences]. I urge the Senator to reconsider their position on this issue and [Desired action]. Thank you for your time.”
Why Calls Matter:
Congresspeople track daily call volume on key issues, influencing their votes.
Thank you for any outreach you do in support of the arts.
Share this information! Copy and paste to reach a wider audience.
